Grudge Rule
by Kinsdura
Summary: There are a few perks to holding a grudge. The best, however, are the clocks that are tangible proof of one's hatred. The clocks, simple in body and purpose, have only one sole purpose: to exact their revenge. Getting revenge is the top priority. This is the world Kurapika lives in, and it's also the one that leads him to the most unlikely companions and improbable situations.
1. Insult

_Hey guys, this is my next HXHBB! This one is slightly different from the previous one that I made in that it is in parts, this one being only the first part. It also, for that reason, shorter than my last one. In addition, I have not yet started the next part, but I do plan on making it, so I hope you enjoy what I have here for now, and thank you for reading Grudge Rule~!_

* * *

 **Part I**

 **The Time Before the Storm**

"Kurapika, just be careful okay?"

"Mom, I'm going into the city, not some mafia headquarters."

"I know, but still." Anahita said, patting him on the shoulder, glancing at the red clock ticking down on the back of his hand. "You only have six hours left."

"Yeah."

"Are you taking the bus?"

"Probably." he shrugged, pulling a jacket on. "It'll be quicker that way after all."

"Okay. Come back as soon as you're done, dinner should be ready by then."

"Of course." he said, heading out of the house.

It only took a few minutes for a bus to pick him up and head towards Soasis City. He glanced down at the circle clock glowing over his skin, the second hand ticking as the analog numbers in the center gave specifics on how much time was remaining.

He sighed, trying to recall the last time he had been so upset over something. Was it that one time when his friend Pairo was hit by some kids at school? Or was it that one time when he was unfairly accused of cheating for knowing words above his grade level? As far as he knew, both times the clock had appeared above his skin, indicating how much time he had left to settle his grudge against his opponent. In both instances he ended up in the principal's office, but was ultimately forgiven due to the Grudge Rule.

The bus jerked to a stop, and Kurapika left his thoughts in the back corner seat as he made his way to his destination. He had a mission to do now.

He walked around the city, not really knowing where he was supposed to go exactly, but knew the general direction of by people vaguely pointing in the direction of his target's apartment complex. He took his time despite the clock ticking down to almost four hours by the time he reached the address he needed.

Kurapika stood at the top of metal stairs, staring at the numbers 213 on a black painted door. He wasn't sure what he was really waiting for, after all, he still wanted to get back home on time, but he was starting to have doubts about his seemingly silly quest. All he did was insult his family, right? Why had he waited so long to finish off his grudge? Just as he was about to turn and walk away the door opened, revealing a man with black short hair that looked weirdly fluffy and an odd cross tattoo right in the middle of his forehead.

At first Kurapika was sure he had the wrong house; there was no way this man was the same as the one he had encountered the other day, but then he spotted the green bulbous earrings on the other's ears and knew immediately this was the culprit.

Without so much as an introduction, Kurapika punched the man in the face.

The man reacted comically, the force of the punch making him stagger back, having him stumble into a fish tank behind him which he corrected back onto its stand only to run into the couch next to it and fall over it's back, his legs sticking up as he stopped halfway through his tumble.

" _That's_ for insulting my family." Kurapika told him for good measure, and was about to turn and leave until he heard a strangled "wait!" He stopped and turned to look at the other man as he clambered to right himself on the couch, looking still rather surprised.

"What's your name?" he asked out of breath, pulling himself up to rest his arms on the back of the couch.

The blonde allowed a pause to pass between them, still trying to determine if he should just leave without further conversation or not. Then he sighed, turning back to the other man.

"Kurapika."

"Ah, that was about yesterday wasn't it?" he asked, rubbing at his cheek.

"It was." Kurapika confirmed, raising an eyebrow at him. "Do you not remember, or is that all?"

"Sort of… well, actually not… It's all sort of blurry; I think I drank too much."

"Too bad for you then, huh?" Kurapika said with a less than sympathetic tone. "Are we done here? Or can I go back home now?" he asked, glancing at the back of his hand, glad to see that the clock had disappeared.

"Not yet. How did you find me?"

"You told me your address."

"I did?"

"Yup." Kurapika answered boredly, though he couldn't deny that it was slightly entertaining to see the other looks so confused. "You told me all of your information while you were drunk."

"Aw man…"

"Everything except for your name, oddly enough." Kurapika continued, looking away from the other man to study the fish in the tank he had righted earlier. "All you kept saying in response to my question of what your name was with 'Who do you think I am?' and then promptly drank another shot afterwards."

"What the fuck."

"That's what I said."

"Well… I'm Chrollo. Chrollo Lucilfer."

"Duly noted."

"...Well then..." Chrollo coughed into his hand uncomfortably. "It's no wonder my head hurt when I woke up this afternoon… wait, then how did I-?"

"I took you back here." Kurapika said, finally looking up from the fish tank and up at Chrollo. "It took quite some effort. And money. But honestly I would have felt bad had I left you there."

"Was this before I insulted your family?"

"Yup."

"Makes sense... If you don't mind me asking, on a scale of one to ten, how bad was it?"

"Enough to where the clock registered it as a grudge." Kurapika said as he tapped the back of his hand. Chrollo gaped at him.

"Shit, I'm sorry."

"All is forgiven; it's gone now isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Then don't worry about it." the blonde said, waving at Chrollo's still concerned face. "Seriously, I got my revenge already, so it's not like I'm going to do it again, right?"

"Unless I say something else equally stupid." Chrollo said impulsively, though he looked contemplative as he did. "Wonder what could be worse…?"

"You should probably stop that train of thought right there." Kurapika warned, mostly for his own benefit more than Chrollo's. He just really didn't want to have to come back and punch him; his hand was already throbbing from the first time.

"In fact, I should probably just leave now," Kurapika continued. "I have to be home for dinner anyway, so-"

"Wait, could I… could I possibly get your number?" Chrollo asked, and Kurapika had to pause in his turn to look back at the other man, questioning if he was hearing right.

"...My what now?"

"Your phone number."

"...For what?"

"To properly apologize later. I can't do that if I can't get in contact with you."

Kurapika had to stare at Chrollo for a few seconds longer, wondering if this was a really weird dream or not. He shook his head to rid himself of the fuzziness in his brain.

"Fine, just put in your information quickly, and I'll send you a text later." the blonde said, handing his phone over. Chrollo smiled and nodded as he took it.

When Chrollo was about to hand the phone back over, it pinged from getting a message.

"Ah, your mom is asking if you're okay." Chrollo announced as Kurapika took the phone away from him.

"Thanks. I'll see you later then… you're not too bad of a person Lucilfer." Kurapika said as he turned to answer his mother's text.

"Thanks, you're not too bad of a gal yourself."

Kurapika didn't even get a chance to fully comprehend what Chrollo had said when he saw the timer return, hovering above the back of his hand as the analog countdown started at **24:00:00** , slowly ticking down second by second. It got to **23:59:38** before the blonde responded to Chrollo.

"I'm. A. Boy."

"...What? Oh fuck, I- I am so sorry-"

"It's fine, just," Kurapika inhaled as much air as he could before forcing himself to breathe out slowly. "Make sure you're here tomorrow."

"...You're going to punch me again, aren't you?"

"If you keep talking, that won't be the only thing I do."

Chrollo was silent after that, and not like he would've said anything again after that, because Kurapika's phone started ringing, leaving them to listen to it chime until the blonde walked out of Chrollo's place and slammed the door behind him. It rang once more before Kurapika answered, slowly making his way down the stairs.

"Kurapika, are you alright? Did you get rid of the timer?"

"Yes and no." Kurapika huffed out, looking at the reset clock with disdain. "I'll explain when I get home."

"Okay, I'll wait then; be safe on your way home."

"Right. See you then."

The call ended, leaving Kurapika to hold the phone to his ear as the dial tone continued in mockery of his new position. He wanted to sneer, but instead he frowned.

"Next time, he'll be out cold."


	2. Back

The very next day Chrollo woke up in a cold sweat, seeing that his phone had a few messages on it, and all from Kurapika.

He didn't bother to check what they said; they were all probably telling him that he better be at home, which he most definitely still was. Crawling out of bed, he analyzed his two options: defy the blonde and be hunted down, or stay and let the other finish his revenge.

One offered security for longer, but the other promised a better outcome long-term. He sighed, throwing off his sleep shirt, deciding to deal with his current issue: getting into actual clothes. He had just put on his pants when his stomach gurgled, and he relented with what his body needed.

Looping a belt through his pants, he made his way to the kitchen to find something to eat when he stopped in the middle of the doorway to see Kurapika sitting in his living room. He must've made a surprised sound because the blonde looked up almost immediately as he entered the dining room, his mouth forming to greet him only to go slack before he even said anything.

They both sat there silently, their faces slowly becoming increasingly red as time went by, Chrollo being the first to speak up after it all became too unbearable.

"You're… already here."

Kurapika nodded at this, his eyes not wandering off of Chrollo. The dark haired man shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Uh, I," he started, but then thought better of trying to explain why he had walked out of his room half naked; the blonde probably didn't want to hear it. "I'll go put a shirt on." Chrollo said finally, turning back to his room to quickly throw one on, returning a moment later and heading straight towards the kitchen without a glance over at his guest. It wasn't until after he had gathered some snacks did he begrudgingly go to the living room where Kurapika sat.

"Want any?" Chrollo offered to Kurapika, but the blonde shook his head, his gaze avoiding him.

Chrollo sat down, letting few minutes pass where neither of them said anything as he slowly ate at the food he had brought. Just when Chrollo thought he couldn't take any more silence, the blonde spoke up.

"Your door was unlocked."

"Oh."

Chrollo continued to eat until the other spoke up again.

"You should probably lock it next time." Kurapika advised, and Chrollo shrugged.

"Probably."

Kurapika finally turned his direction again, a glare on his face.

"Take this more seriously."

"I'm taking this as seriously as one can." Chrollo defended through a mouth full of food. "Just give me some time to really wake up."

"I can help with that." Kurapika threatened as he raised his arm up as if ready to punch him again, and Chrollo leaned as far away as he could from the blonde.

"Thanks but no thanks. Please wait till _after_ I'm done eating to release your vengeance upon my face."

Kurapika dropped his arm. "Not like I was really going to at this moment, but alright."

"Thanks. And I'm sorry, about what I said last time. I don't know why I assumed that you were a-"

"It's fine." the other said through gritted teeth, and Chrollo gave him a deadpan look.

"It's not fine if you have to hide your anger about it happening." he pointed out. "If it's any reassurance, it won't happen again." Chrollo promised. "And, you still get to punch me after this. It's a good deal, right?"

Kurapika eyed him with suspicion but made no further comment on the matter, only humming that he understood.

Chrollo took that as his cue to finish up eating, so he quickly finished the food and threw the trash away, coming back to the living room when he was done doing that. Kurapika seemed deep in thought, and didn't even look up when Chrollo came back, so the older man sat on the couch, hoping that maybe if he waited long enough that Kurapika's timer would run out and he would get away with his mistake.

But then again, that was only hoping. And it had been a while since Chrollo had gotten a break with luck.

"After I punch you, you have to make good on what you said last time."

"...you mean my apology?"

"Yes, your 'proper' apology." Kurapika said, though he sounded less than thrilled about it. "You better make it good."

"Well after offending you two times in a row, I'm going to have to."

"Alright. Ready for it?" Kurapika asked, stretching his arms.

"Nope, just surprise-"

Chrollo didn't even get to finish his sentence when Kurapika's fist collided with the side of his jaw, and he could immediately tell that it was going to be sore the next day. The force knocked him sideways onto the couch, but he managed to slip off the side and hit the floor, making his whole right arm throb with pain as well.

" _Ow._ " he said with emphasis, bringing up a hand to feel at the spot he was punched. A lump was already forming. "That was… quite a surprise."

"Only doing what you asked of me." Kurapika said smugly, giving a satisfied smile at the back of his hand that was devoid of any timer. "I do have to say though, this has done wonders for releasing my pent up energy."

"I'm sure." Chrollo said, picking himself up. "Should I insult you again just so you can have a punching bag to release your stress?"

"What? No! Why?! Wouldn't that be a bad deal for you?"

"Not really. You're nice company to have when I'm not suffering from your wrath."

Kurapika opened his mouth but nothing came out, his face turning a light pink. He closed his mouth and turned away from Chrollo, seeming embarrassed about the compliment.

"Oh. Thank you."

"No problem." Chrollo said, rubbing at his jaw and wincing at how much it hurt now. "Kind of wish this grudge thing took away the pain though."

"You deserve that pain and you know it."

"I do." Chrollo affirmed. "Anyway, now that you've accomplished your mission to punch me yet again, what else are you going to do?"

"Go home, probably. Enjoy the rest of my day off." Kurapika said, getting up. "Speaking of, I should probably head out right now before you slip up, insult me, and then make me come back."

"You know, you could just ignore it too."

"You offered to be my punching bag, so if I have the opportunity, why would I ignore it?"

"I'm starting to regret that offer now." Chrollo sighed, causing the blonde to smile.

"I know. But if you're not such an awful person later on down the road maybe I won't get the chance to take advantage of your offer will I?"

"Suppose not." Chrollo shrugged, watching as Kurapika walked out of the living room. "See you around I guess."

"Hmm. You too." Kurapika said, as he got to the door. "Maybe next time we meet you won't be such a jerk."

Chrollo smiled.

"Not a chance."

Kurapika scoffed and waved him goodbye as he left, closing the door behind himself when he did. Chrollo wasn't sure why, but he suddenly felt really lonely, like the blonde had taken all of the cheer from the room with him. He frowned, but got up anyway, trying to think of what he could do for the remainder of the day, when a thought struck him.

Getting up with haste and motivation, he retrieved his phone from his room, scrolling through his contacts until it got to the one he wanted. He then sent a text message in hopes that he would either force them into another grudge or somehow end up becoming their friend. He hoped, that just maybe, he could accomplish both in due time. But then again, he was definitely sure this wasn't how friendships were supposed to start:

 **hey kurapika**

 **want to hear an interesting fact about spiders?**


	3. Back Again

Kurapika had to admit, he didn't mind visiting Chrollo everyday so far these past two weeks, but what he _did_ mind was that each visit was elicited by the older man saying something stupid over text.

At first it started with stupid, useless, mundane facts about stuff, that eventually turned into puns and memes. Kurapika never thought Chrollo to be the type of person to harass anyone, but he guessed he was wrong on that point.

"Your texts are getting annoying." Kurapika commented as he walked into Chrollo's apartment, noting that the door had remained unlock despite his persistence on the subject. "And are you never going to lock your door?"

"There's no reason to." Chrollo said from the kitchen, giving him a smile. "And my texts are a delight."

Kurapika rolled his eyes at that.

"Do you text everyone like this?"

"Only my friends." he said nonchalantly, oblivious to Kurapika's face heating up at the statement. "Though if they really bother you I can stop." he offered, looking up to the blonde as he did. Kurapika shook his head at the offer.

"No, it's… fine. They could be a lot worse."

"Is that a challenge?"

"It most definitely isn't." Kurapika said with a glare, and Chrollo gave an apologetic smile.

"By the way, do you have anything else to do today?" the dark haired man asked, walking over to the living room and sitting onto the couch. "Or should I rather ask if coming over here to punch me was the only thing you had planned today?"

Kurapika raised a questioning eyebrow at him, but when the other didn't elaborate any further, he caved into answering.

"No."

"Perfect." Chrollo said, causing Kurapika to look at him, confused at his response.

"Excuse me?"

"I said 'perfect' because I've just thought of how I can apologize to you for causing so much trouble." Chrollo said, smiling. "I'll be right back."

Chrollo quickly went to his room, leaving the blonde to sit in his living room still confused. Fifteen minutes later Chrollo reemerged from his room, having changed into nicer clothes and with his hair brushed back, gel holding it down in place. Kurapika squinted at him in befuddlement for a split second before he stood up, his face warming up again.

"No..." he warned, and Chrollo seemed hard pressed to not smile at that.

"Why not?" he asked innocently, walking back over to the living room; Kurapika edged away from the taller man cautiously.

"I am _not_ going on a date with you." Kurapika accused and Chrollo gave a dramatized hurt expression.

"Why, who said anything about a date? _I_ most certainly didn't!" Chrollo said with mock offense, causing Kurapika to grind his teeth, though he didn't really feel any anger more than he felt frustrated.

"Well that's _certainly_ what it seems like!" Kurapika said defensively, and Chrollo chuckled at that.

"I know, I know." he assured, putting his hands up to try and calm the blonde. "But this is the best thing I could think of."

Kurapika relaxed his shoulders a bit, the blush draining from his face as he forced his composure back, but he still gave Chrollo a suspicious look nonetheless.

"Oh really now? Where will you be taking me then?"

"A restaurant." Chrollo supplied. "Food always makes people happy; it's hard to go wrong with that."

"...which one?"

"Any one you want."

"Really?" Kurapika asked somewhat surprised.

"Really. I'm paying for everything, so I don't mind even if it's expensive." Chrollo shrugged, though he was sure the other man was hoping the blonde wouldn't wring him from every cent in his pocket.

"Are you sure? Isn't this a little much for only insulting me a couple times?" Kurapika asked skeptically, and Chrollo shrugged again.

"Well, this _is_ an apology for the past two weeks, but you could also say that this could also be used for future mishaps. If they happen, that is."

Kurapika rested his chin on his hand, giving Chrollo a critical once over before sighing.

"Alright, fine." the blonde consented with a wave of his hand, too tired to argue but also glad that something rewarding was actually coming out of this whole ordeal. "But I still need to get into nicer clothes myself."

"Don't worry about that either." Chrollo said, pulling the blonde along with him to the door. "I'll buy you some."

"You'll what?" Kurapika asked incredulously, taking another look at Chrollo. Just how much money did this guy _have_?

"You know, if you keep asking me to repeat myself, I'll think you'll have a hearing problem." Chrollo teased, and Kurapika elbowed him in the side, getting the dark haired man to release him.

"And if you keep saying ridiculous things I'm going to think you're insane!"

"You already think that." Chrollo smiled, and Kurapika couldn't help but smile back.

"Touché."


	4. Apology Date

Overall, Chrollo had to conclude that it had been a successful night so far. They had gone to an upscale restaurant that Kurapika had chosen out, as if testing the older man's commitment to his promise. Chrollo obliged with the request without flinching, and even got them a table on the top floor _and_ the balcony, just for kicks.

He wasn't sure what else he exactly did, but he had also managed to pull off not saying anything stupid yet the entire time, which meant that for the first time since the start of the month, that Kurapika didn't have a clock ticking away on the back of his hand.

"I still think this is a little much." Kurapika complained across from him, though Chrollo knew it didn't have much meaning behind it at this point since it was the sixth time that the blonde had brought it up.

"Two weeks' worth of torture in exchange for a fancy dinner out seems pretty equal to me." Chrollo countered, taking a sip of wine. Kurapika gave him a disbelieving look.

"And I suppose that would also include in the fees of buying me the nice designer brand clothes for said fancy dinner?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You're ridiculous." Kurapika breathed out in a laugh, shaking his head as he did. Chrollo wasn't sure what it was about that particular moment of the blonde doing that, but he found himself mesmerized by it.

"You're beautiful." Chrollo commented, not even really thinking about any consequences that could come from speaking his mind. Kurapika turned to him blushing, mouth slightly open since he was caught off guard by the older man's compliment, but then gave a disapproving pout.

"Don't change the subject." Kurapika accused, though it was teasing in a way that Chrollo didn't even mind. "What kind of job do you even have where you can just buy all of this expensive stuff?"

Chrollo contemplated telling the truth or outright lying, but instead settled with a half truth.

"I work out of home on the computer. I also have a lot saved up from previous jobs." he said, and the blonde seemed convinced by that answer.

"Makes sense. What were your previous jobs?" Kurapika asked, and Chrollo made a face.

"I'd rather not talk about them." he said, hoping that the other would understand. His previous jobs weren't exactly material you told someone so soon, especially without lots of preparation. Thankfully, Kurapika just nodded understandingly. "What about you, what job do you have?"

Kurapika pursed his lips at that.

"Nothing special really. I mostly do odd jobs around the town. I used to work as a cashier for the market, then I worked as a waiter for that one Italian restaurant down the road from the middle school. Currently though I'm working two part time jobs; one as an arranger and cashier at the floral shop near the edge of town, and the other as an assistant baker for the bakery across the street."

"Whoa, you have a lot of talent to do such a variety of things." Chrollo praised, genuinely impressed. "Are those all the jobs you've done?"

"Nope. When I was in college I worked in the school library as a student librarian and I also used to be a tutor for kids a few weeks before finals rolled around." Kurapika said proudly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Impressive." Chrollo said, giving a low whistle. "Seriously. I don't think I was ever that active during my college years; let alone being able to get so many jobs."

"What did you major in in college?" Kurapika asked, and Chrollo gave a weary smile.

"I was an archaeology major before I dropped out." he said, looking out over the city in order to ignore Kurapika's reaction to his reply.

There was silence after that, so Chrollo tried to focus on the moving cars below them, and how the city lights looked really nice when admired from such a high view. It wasn't until after a few minutes did Kurapika speak again.

"I'm sorry."

"No need." Chrollo reassured him with a smile, though he felt it did little to comfort the blonde. "I'm serious. I made the decision myself. Plus, you see how much money I have; I clearly make enough money to live despite not having finished college!"

Kurapika nodded slowly, though his smile did not return.

"Thanks for this, by the way." the blonde said, gesturing towards the table and his clothes. "If you hadn't denied it, this would probably be the best date I've ever been on."

"Whoa whoa, I never _denied_ it, just said that I hadn't brought the word up."

"So _is_ this a date?" Kurapika inquired, and Chrollo couldn't help but question back.

"Do you _want_ it to be?"

Kurapika grinned.

"Maybe."

Chrollo opened his mouth then closed it, but felt it hang back open. As he continued to gape like a fool, Kurapika began to laugh, and Chrollo could've swore that it had stopped time in that moment.

The blonde's laugh had started out as a light giggle that made one think of wind chimes and small bells, and then it grew in volume, seeming to project around them a sensation that they were in the middle of a meadow of flowers with golden grass swaying around them, the sky a bright blue with white pure clouds passing overhead gently with ebb and lulls of waves of the sea. It sounded, no… felt… heavenly.

Chrollo wasn't given a chance to reflect on his thoughts or anything else further when he realized that Kurapika had stopped laughing. He suddenly became aware of his mouth still hanging open, so he quickly closed it when Kurapika gathered enough breath to speak again.

"I'm sorry just, you looked so lost–haha–I... I'm so sorry, this is probably so rude..." Kurapika said, though he was saying words between giggles. "You're just endlessly amusing to me."

Chrollo felt like some part of him should be offended by that statement, but found that he really didn't care about it at all. He smiled as Kurapika broke into another fit of laughing, holding onto the table in attempt to not bend over completely. It was so pure and it felt so natural to him that he couldn't believe he had only met Kurapika two weeks prior. _What would life be without him?_ he wondered, but then paused.

What _would_ it be like, had he never met the blonde? Surely dull, and far more boring than life ever should be. He wouldn't have experienced… whatever this feeling he was feeling now was, and he certainly wouldn't have anything to look forward to. Thinking that, Chrollo knew in that moment that taking Kurapika out on this date was something he would never regret.


	5. A Call

For the first time in two weeks Kurapika didn't have a clock ticking down above his hand, urging him to go on a seemingly pointless quest to go and punch someone.

It was refreshing to see the change, and he was glad he didn't have to hide it from anyone anymore. He was also glad that he had no responsibility to finish any grudge either… but he was actually missing the routine of it. Of going downtown to visit with Chrollo and sock him in the jaw. Just… hanging out, something he hadn't done since he'd graduated middle school.

Thinking of middle school, Kurapika pulled out his phone and dialed a number he knew very well.

"Hello?"

"Hey Pairo, are you free right now?" the blonde asked, getting a chuckle in return.

"No, I picked up the phone because I was so busy with my work that I couldn't spare a few minutes for my friend." Pairo said back sarcastically, his eye roll felt through the phone line. "So why did you call? You usually don't initiate communication."

"Ah well, I was just thinking back on when we used to hang out and decided to call." Kurapika said, leaning back in his chair and glancing around to see if anyone was paying him any mind. When he confirmed that no one actually gave a shit that he was semi-slacking off, he turned back to talk to Pairo. "So, how you've been?"

"Hmm, I've been good." Pairo mulled, seeming distracted by something. "Busy, as usual. Kind of wish I could move back home and see you and your parents, but I don't think I'll get a break till before summer."

"Are you serious? They're working you way too hard." Kurapika said with disbelief. "You deserve a break sooner than that!"

Pairo laughed on his end of the line, amused by Kurapika's dislike of his work. "When I got this job you knew I wouldn't have a lot of time off. Besides, I'm sure you've made some friends to hang out with while I've been gone!"

"Er, I'm not so sure about 'friends' per se…"

"Ooooohhh someone's got a friend!" Pairo teased, laughing again when Kurapika groaned at him. "It can't be that bad if you see them often though!" he pressed and Kurapika rolled his eyes at that.

"If you count it because of all the grudges that guy has elicited from me then _maybe_."

"Whoa what? Someone getting a grudge? Out of _you?_ " Pairo let out a low whistle. "What an impressive guy."

" _Pairo._ "

"Ah, sorry. Maybe not impressive, but he certainly doesn't seem too bad if you haven't already started to complain about him."

"He has bad jokes and seems insensitive to social constructs- no, wait, he just doesn't have much of a filter."

"Attractive." Pairo said sarcastically, though Kurapika could've swore he heard the smile in his voice.

"That's not the point here."

"Sure it isn't, but I do miss teasing you. It was always the highlight of my day." Pairo mused, and Kurapika couldn't help but grin.

"You know it went both ways."

"Hahaha that's true! We were both pretty good at roasting each other too! Never a dull moment eh?"

"Truly." Kurapika agreed, noticing the manager enter the backroom. He ducked forward in his seat and lowered his voice. "Alright, well I have to go, hopefully we can talk again soon."

"Okay, talk to you then! And tell your new friend 'Hi!' for me will ya? Ciao!"

The line went dead as Pairo hung up, and Kurapika quickly hid his phone in his pocket as the manager walked past, barely even giving Kurapika a second glance as she walked by. Breathing a sigh of relief at not being caught, he reviewed back on his conversation with Pairo.

Had Chrollo actually become his friend? Surely they couldn't have, not after all that had transpired between them; but then again, they got along fairly well for people who got on each other's nerves so often. Well, maybe that last part only applied to himself, but he still couldn't be sure about the friend thing.

As Kurapika got back to work of arranging some flowers together, he repressed the urge to call Pairo back and ask seriously had he actually found another friend? How could you tell if you made a friend? What were things that you did with normal friends? Did friends take each other out on _dates?_

The blonde shook his head, clearing his mind of those questions with some embarrassment and concentrated on his work, hoping the problems would figure themselves out.

Or, maybe, he could just ask Chrollo about it when they meet again.


	6. Grocery Store

It was at least a week after their date did Chrollo see Kurapika again. Sure, they had texted, but Kurapika was trying to catch up with the work he had missed so Chrollo did his best to avoid causing the blonde to miss work again because of a grudge. And now, here they were, crossing paths again in the middle of a grocery store.

"It's nice to see you Kurapika, it's been a while hasn't it?" Chrollo greeted, accidentally startling Kurapika when he did. The blonde gave a sharp glare only to realize it was Chrollo, slumping his shoulders and sighing when he did.

"It's… good to see you again too." Kurapika hesitated, obviously distracted by something. "How've you been?"

"Pretty alright, though I ran out of food in my house so I was kind of forced out." Chrollo shrugged, taking a loaf of bread from the shelf in front of them. "How about you? Have you caught up with your work yet?"

"Not quite." Kurapika sighed again, scratching the back of his head as he too grabbed a loaf of bread. "My boss didn't seem to mind about the makeup work but it'd still be nice if people at my workplace didn't pester me for why I was gone for so long."

"Ah, nosy coworkers?"

"Yup."

"Well, it could be worse." Chrollo shrugged, following Kurapika as he walked to the next aisle.

"Like getting blackout drunk and insulting my family?" Kurapika asked, cracking a smile when Chrollo gave an aghast look at him.

"You can't hold that over me forever!" he said exasperatedly, but all it did was make Kurapika laugh.

"I don't know, I think I can. After all, this is the first time I've met you in public when you haven't been drunk off your ass."

Chrollo was about to counter but instead squinted at Kurapika.

"How do you know I'm not drunk now?"

"It's afternoon."

"Never too early to start drinking." Chrollo pointed out. Kurapika held back a snort.

"You don't smell like alcohol." the blonde corrected and the older man laughed at that.

"You're right, I don't." he relented, smiling down at the blonde. "By the way, if you have time next week-"

"Are we friends?" Kurapika interrupted, surprising Chrollo enough to where he stopped walking. The blonde had stopped too, not making eye contact with his companion and wearing an anxious look on his face. Chrollo internally panicked.

"I think so?" he answered, though he wasn't one hundred percent sure. He wasn't even sure what actually qualified someone to be a friend, but he knew that he liked talking to Kurapika and hanging out with him so that was enough for him, but what if it wasn't enough for Kurapika?

"Are you not sure?" Kurapika asked as he turned to Chrollo and the older man raised an eyebrow up in confusion.

"I think it's you that's not sure."

Kurapika pressed his lips into a thin line, squinting at Chrollo as if trying to figure out a really complicated math problem.

"Maybe."

"Is this really something you can answer 'maybe' too?"

"Probably… not." Kurapika admitted, furrowing his eyebrows when he did. "It just hadn't occurred to me that there was a label for our… relationship."

"Well, if we enjoy each other's companionship then I think that counts us as being friends right?"

Kurapika looked like he was going to protest what he said then hesitated, jutting out his bottom lip as he thought.

"Yes, I do believe you're right." Kurapika said after a while, causing Chrollo to smile.

"Great! And now that we have that confirmed, I'll get back to what I was going to ask you earlier."

"Ah, right, sorry." Kurapika apologized, but Chrollo waved him off.

"It's cool. Anyway, if you have time next weekend, I wanted to show you the place I used to work!" Chrollo said, though as he did he was beginning to doubt if it was such a good idea to show Kurapika after all.

"What? Really? But you didn't even want to talk about your previous work." Kurapika said, looking slightly concerned. "Are you sure about this?"

"No, I'm not, but I thought… well, that you'd want to know is all… plus, it wasn't all too bad of a place! The people were friendly with the exception of that one weird guy, but all in all a really pleasant environment."

"Then why did you leave?"

"Eh, it just wasn't for me anymore." Chrollo shrugged, turning to gather what he needed to finish his shopping trip. Kurapika followed him, and the dark haired man was grateful for the company. "So, what do you say?"

"Hmm, I'll see if I'm free." Kurapika said. "And if I am I'll let you know."

Chrollo grinned and nodded his understanding. After that, they split off on their own ways, and Chrollo managed to complete his shopping list despite getting distracted from constantly thinking about how someone could be so smart yet so dense about relationships.


	7. Managers

That weekend, Kurapika made sure that he had time to go visit Chrollo, finding that he was very curious about what his friend's previous job had been. Chrollo had avoided talking about it before and Kurapika hadn't questioned it much, but since he was given the opportunity to learn about it he wasn't about to turn that down.

They had met at Chrollo's place and then the older man drove them to where he used to work. Originally Kurapika had assumed that it might've been in the heart of the city with all the nicer tall buildings that were all shiny and reflective, but Chrollo had drove past all of it and gone through the backroads that eventually lead them to some back hideout that looked like a run-down bar. Kurapika had a hundred questions at that point, but instead he got out of the car and followed Chrollo to the building.

When they entered, Kurapika was filled with relief that the inside was indeed a bar like the outside implied, and that it was much cleaner than the blonde had imagined. It actually looked brand new, the wood on the tables and bar top unscathed and newly glazed and all the low hanging lights looked purposefully rustic, with the lights set low.

"Hey, look at who's back!" a man at the counter said, his hair up in a weird curl above his forehead. "The main man is here!"

There was a commotion from the back of the bar as some people spilled out from where Kurapika assumed they were relaxing since there were no customers present.

"Chrollo!"

"Boss!"

A shorter man with unkempt black hair jumped over the bar without hesitation and launched himself at Chrollo, the older man catching the other and balancing on his feet so as to not fall over.

"Hello Feitan, it's nice to see you again." Chrollo greeted with a grin, then gestured to Kurapika with his head. "I brought a friend."

Feitan squinted at Kurapika, unconvinced at Chrollo's statement.

"Really? A friend? That's not like you. Usually you make enemies."

"He has a lot of patience it turns out." Chrollo said, and Kurapika raised his eyebrow at that. _Was that a compliment or an insult just now?_

"Does your friend have a name?" a large, tanned man asked, his hair wild and long and thrown up in a crude version of a bun.

"Ah yes, where are my manners?" Chrollo asked dramatically, stepping to the side so his former coworkers could get a better view of Kurapika. "Everyone, this is Kurapika. Kurapika, this is… well, I'll let them do the introductions." he said smiling.

The man who was at the counter when they entered introduced himself as Bashou, and girl with purple (or was it pink?) hair introduced herself as Machi. Then the man next to her with red hair and really pale skin called himself Hisoka, who then winked in a way that made Kurapika feel more like running than swooning. After him, the large man called Uvogin introduced himself and then reintroduced Feitan despite the smaller man's mumbled complaint in another language.

"What happened to Phinks and Melody? Are they not here today?" Chrollo asked, and Uvogin scratched the back of his neck.

"Well Phinks called in sick today so I'm here to fill in for him, but Melody is in the back still working. She said ' _Someone_ has got to keep working while the rest of you fool around!'"

Bashou laughed at that.

"As responsible as always! By the way, Chrollo, have you told your friend here what we do?"

"Uhh, not… exactly?" Chrollo said, giving a nervous laugh. "I thought it'd be better to show him."

"Oh? You're usually so smart boss, but this could be a fatal mistake." Hisoka mused, and Kurapika felt like glaring at the clownish man but refrained, instead posing a question himself to get down to business.

"You guys just work at this bar right?"

"Much more than that." Machi said flatly, her face unimpressed by his inquiry. "We're managers too."

Kurapika blinked.

"All of you?"

Machi nodded.

"All of us."

Kurapika stayed silent, trying to figure out what exactly was so scandalous about this information.

"Okay, and?" he asked, looking at Chrollo. "What's the big deal about it?"

Chrollo huffed a laugh of relief but he still looked very unsure, or anxious, about everything.

"Well, you know how every now and then your grudge clock pops up?"

"More than every now and then thanks to you," Kurapika said, jabbing with a finger at his stomach. "But yes, I do."

"Okay, so what do you do when your time runs out?"

"I go home?" Kurapika questioned, and Uvogin's laugh to his response was cut short by someone elbowing him in the ribs. Chrollo sighed.

"No, I meant what would you do if you couldn't exact your revenge before your time went out?"

"That would never happen. I always avenge myself." Kurapika said confidently, and he got to bare witness to Chrollo smacking his palm into his face and hear muffled laughter in the background from everyone else. Kurapika forced back his smile as Chrollo gave him a pleading look to cooperate before continuing in an exasperated voice.

"For the sake of this scenario, pretend like it did."

"Okay." Kurapika consented with a shrug, trying to think of what he would do in the scenario. "I guess I would… do nothing about it then."

"But why?"

"Because the law says that after the time is out, any further action on the subject would be illegal."

"It does, yes, but you would still want revenge right?"

"Well of course I would." Kurapika huffed, wondering where this was going. _What did the Grudge Rules have to do with any of this?_

"Then that's where we would come in." Chrollo said gesturing to himself and his former coworkers. "We could fulfill someone else's grudge for them. It's illegal too, of course, but this reduces the risk for the perpetrator. We do services for grudges that have gone unpunished for years and or for ones that have just expired."

"Wait, so being managers-"

"Is just the job name. It's only known in more underground factions. That's how mafias are able to continue long feuds and how some people pull pranks on each other."

"So the bar is…?"

"A front." Chrollo said with a grin. Kurapika nodded, turning his thoughts inward as he did.

He wasn't so sure what he felt about being told that his friend used to have an illegal job that basically loop holed around the Grudge Rule, but it was certainly very overwhelming knowing it had to do with the black market. Kurapika felt his arms trembling so he crossed them, attempting to calm his nerves as he continued the conversation.

"So, it's like being a hitman?"

"Basically, though that definition is solely for killing, so it was replaced with manager, mostly because we managed everyone's private affairs and that people get killed very rarely. It's mostly punching someone or making their day miserable or haunting them to where they can't sleep at night." Chrollo explained, leaning on a table behind him. "We try to avoid death."

"Is it not dangerous for you guys though?" Kurapika asked, worried. "What if someone kills you for doing someone else's grudge?"

The bar went silent, and Kurapika wondered what line he crossed that he was unaware of.

"See, even in the underground, it's very poor manners to kill a manager." Feitan said, speaking up to make sure he was heard. "Sure when we act like hitmen we know the consequences that come with it, but if someone were to actively come after us when we weren't trying to take their life, well, they wouldn't be in a too good position themselves."

"This is our jobs, our livelihood! We do what we do to get by, not because we enjoy torturing people." Bashou said, and Hisoka chuckled, causing Bashou to roll his eyes and say, "Except for Hisoka."

"I see…" Kurapika said, not really understanding at all but saying that just to get by the awkward tension in the room.

At that moment though, he was saved from anymore judgement from everyone by a short (shorter than Feitan, he noted surprisedly) person walk into the room from the back door, carrying a pile of papers.

"Feitan, Machi, you two have three jobs this week."

"Nice."

"Okay."

"Bashou, Hisoka, you guys have one."

"Hm."

"Ohhh, lucky!"

"And Uvogin, you have two."

"Great!"

The newcomer began handing out the papers as the group flocked around them. When everyone had gotten their papers, they started flooding out, and Kurapika got to clearly see the new person, who waved over at him and Chrollo.

"Hello Chrollo! And hello other person! Please don't be afraid of all of us, most of us are actually quite friendly!" they said walking around from the bar and offering Kurapika a hand. "It's nice to meet you by the way! I'm Melody, I work with the lesser grudges people hold! ...And all of the paperwork." she ended, sighing.

Kurapika took her hand and shook it, smiling at her and finding her nice despite the work she did.

"It's nice to meet you too. And what do you mean by lesser grudges? Is there a scale?"

"Sort of." Melody said, beckoning him and Chrollo to follow her to a table to sit down at. "It's more on scale of how much we get paid. It determines how much we do back to the person they want revenge on."

"Oh, I see." Kurapika said, sitting down when they arrived at the table. "So how much do you get per request then?"

"Me?" Melody asked, and he nodded his head. "One to a hundred thousand per."

Kurapika swore that if he had been drinking anything in that moment that he would've made a grand spit take in that moment he was so surprised.

"And like I said," Melody continued, giving him an amused look, probably very well aware how caught off guard he was with her answer, "I do the _lesser_ grudges. As in I get paid the least per request, but I also get the most frequent."

"What does everyone else make then?" Kurapika asked, then back pedaled. "Though I completely understand if that's violating some rules-"

"It's fine; it's natural to be curious after hearing my answer." Melody amended, smiling at him then at Chrollo, who looked just as amused as she did. "Bashou makes one hundred-and-one to two hundred thousand per request, Phinks, whom you haven't met and is currently sick, gets two hundred-and-one to four hundred thousand per request. Feitan gets four hundred-and-one to seven hundred thousand per request, and Machi gets seven hundred-and-one to one million per request." she said, smiling.

Kurapika was still gaping at the amount of money everyone made, trying not to look as amazed as he felt. He felt Chrollo put a hand on his shoulder, bringing him back to earth and away from his thoughts.

"How much does Hisoka make? Is he a substitute still?" Chrollo asked Melody, and she shook her head. "No, he took your position when you left and is now making over a million dollars per request."

Chrollo gave a low whistle as Kurapika looked over at Chrollo in astonishment. _So_ that's _where he got all his money from._

"I knew he had potential." he said, ignoring the blonde's look completely as Melody gave him a flat look.

"Anyone who is on par with you in fighting has more than just potential." she said, to which he just laughed it off, shaking his hand in dismissal of the praise.

"You _fought_ him?" Kurapika asked out loud, and Chrollo turned to him with a smile.

"Of course I did. I had to see if he was good enough to be my substitute. I did, after all, have the highest level of grudges to fulfill. They tended to be very dangerous and required offensive and defensive skills to complete and survive those requests."

Kurapika blinked at him, trying to figure out if he was being bluffed to or not. Melody kicked Chrollo in the shin, making the taller man curl over and hit his face on the table.

"Knock it off Chrollo, you're going to terrify him!" Melody scolded, standing up on her seat to be eye level with him when he lifted his head.

"Sorry, my bad." he said, though she only glared at him more.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to."

Chrollo smiled meekly then turned to Kurapika.

"I'm sorry. I can make it up to you later if you want?"

"There's not much I want from you so I'll have to decline." Kurapika deadpanned, crossing his arms.

He didn't like that this Melody person could sense when he was getting anxious about everything, but he was also grateful that she did something about it. Looking over at her, he bowed his head slightly in her direction.

"Thank you for that."

"Oh please, I didn't do anything much." Melody said, waving her hand at him. "But I must say I'm surprised with how long you've put up with Chrollo. He may be a pleasant person but he is impulsive and pushy to get his way."

"Not since I've known him." Kurapika admitted, giving Chrollo a look. "And if he was, it's not all that noticeable."

"I've changed quite a bit since I've left Melody; you can't assume I'm still the same!" Chrollo said in defense of himself, but Melody didn't look convinced.

"I would bet half of my earnings that if you ever came back to this job you would go back to being your same old self." she said seriously, and Chrollo frowned.

"If I'm to be honest, I don't think I'd want that. I took quite a while to recover from the issues I had after leaving here."

"I'm sure, but you know what they say: old habits die hard." With that, she slid off her chair and went to get something behind the bar. "And don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be mean to you, but it's what Pakunoda said would happen."

"Who's Pakunoda?" Kurapika asked her, but Chrollo answered instead.

"She's another substitute manager here. She has great insight on many things, and most of what she predicts is true."

"So she's a fortune teller?"

"Close, but not quite." Chrollo sighed, leaning his head into his hand. "She's just really good at figuring out what you'll do based off of your personality and past."

"Oh, how fun." Kurapika said unenthusiastically. Between her and Melody, he felt like anyone that sat between those two would be as readable as a children's book between them both. _And I would not want that at all._

"Well since I'm here, I'll gladly let you know that I won't be coming back to this job if I can help it." Chrollo said, interrupting Kurapika's train of thought.

"Am I supposed to relay that to Pakunoda or something?" Melody asked without amusement, and all Chrollo did was shrug, getting out of his own chair and beckoning Kurapika to follow suit.

"Who knows, but I'm sure she'll hear about it whether or not I tell you to anyway."

Melody stuck her tongue out as Chrollo swiftly left the bar, going back outside to where it had already become dark.

Kurapika decided to take his time with getting out of the bar, seeing no real rush to leave since he had nothing else to do when he got back home.

"Melody," he started, turning towards the short woman. "Thank you for your hospitality; it's been wonderful."

"No, the pleasure was all mine! I'm glad I got to meet you! You seem to handle Chrollo well, and you're the first person he's brought back that wasn't here for job related reasons, so it's definitely an improvement from who he used to be." she said smiling.

Kurapika smiled back as he felt his phone vibrate, with a text from Chrollo asking if he was coming or not. He inwardly laughed at the message as a mental image of a child pouting in a car seat popped up in his head and related it to Chrollo. He typed back that he was getting there when he had an idea.

"Melody, if you don't mind me asking for a favor," he said, switching the app on his phone before handing it over. "I'd like to have your phone number so that we can continue to talk."

"Really?" Melody asked, obviously shocked by him asking. "You seemed kind of… uncomfortable around me though…"

"Oh," Kurapika half held back a flinch. _Am I really so obvious?_ "Well, I was, and maybe still am, but I think we'd be good friends if given some time." he said, giving her a hopeful smile.

She studied him a bit longer before smiling herself, and taking his phone.

"I'm glad then! I thought so too!" she confessed, entering her phone number into his contacts and handing it back over. "But I'm pretty sure you should go now; someone is waiting on you." Melody said as he got yet another text from Chrollo.

"He's patient, he can wait." Kurapika joked, and Melody laughed into her hands.

"You're right, but you really should go!"

"I know, I know. Bye Melody, it was nice meeting you." he said, leaving the bar.

"You too!" she said before the door closed, leaving Kurapika in the cold parking lot with the lights of Chrollo's car shining brightly next to him. He walked around the car and got into the passenger seat and buckled himself in before Chrollo spoke.

"I know it's probably not my business, but what took so long?"

"I was making a friend." Kurapika said vaguely, but Chrollo smiled at him, accepting the answer without question.

"That's good."

They drove out of parking lot and through the backstreets until they made it out into the main part of the city again, the lights of all of the buildings shining brightly and blurring together as they sped past them.

"Are you sure you don't want me to make it up to you for scaring you earlier?" Chrollo asked then, giving him a side glance before returning his eyes to the road. Kurapika snorted.

"I wasn't scared, but if you insist, I suppose I don't have any reason to deny it."

"So it's a date?" Chrollo questioned, grinning at Kurapika as he did, and Kurapika couldn't help but grin back.

"Sure, it's a date."


	8. Advice

After that day, time flew by quickly for Chrollo. He couldn't tell if it was because he and Kurapika had gone back to their greet-and-punch schedule or if it was because almost every time they did that Kurapika would agree to stay the night and spend the next day with him.

Chrollo couldn't even say it bothered him, because it really didn't. With the way things were, he could finish what he needed for his job and still be around Kurapika, and it worked out just fine. Sure he might've pulled a few all-nighters to maintain it, but all in all a pretty good life.

He explained all of this to Feitan over the phone, who then in turn told almost everyone at the bar that Chrollo and Kurapika were forever in the tango of the "no-homo" zone because they still continued to call each other friends even after all of this time.

"Feitan it's really not like that at all!" he said, leaning back on his couch as he gazed at the popcorn ceiling. "Seriously, if there was anything more to it, you'd be the first to know."

"Would I?" Feitan inquired genuinely, though the response sounded doubtful. "After updating the workplace of your stagnant ability of moving things forward, you would confide in me about your relationships?"

"Yes, because I know that you have enough common sense of when and when not to keep a secret." Chrollo said back, the silence from the other end confirming his statement. "Besides, I can't even be sure of my own emotions in this. He just makes me happy, I guess."

"Boyfriends make you happy."

"And so do regular friends _Feitan_." Chrollo sighed out. "Why do you think this will turn romantic? Why can't I just have _one_ friend that won't become my future spouse?"

"Because to you, friends are a casual thing. Take us for example," Feitan said, in which Chrollo could imagine the shorter man gesturing to himself and then the rest of the bar area, where the others would supposedly be. "We are people you hang out with when it's of convenience and when you are seeking others for company. We, of course, do the same thing. That's how these friendships work with you usually.

"But that," Feitan paused, sighing next to the phone before bringing his mouth back to the speaker. "That is dangerous territory."

"You're not talking about the dates are you?"

"The _what_ now?"

Chrollo hesitated before he spoke.

"I did tell you that we went on dates right?"

Feitan made a strangling noise that was mixed with some off-pitch yelling. When he came back he sounded exasperated.

"You are leading this boy on and you don't even _know_ it! Oh my God, when Melody hears about this-"

"Hears about what?" Melody asked, her voice coming in through the speaker despite how softly she seemed to ask the question.

The phone was then promptly dropped to the floor, or, so Chrollo assumed what with the loud thud that came from the other side of the line with a faded out bickering between Melody and Feitan.

Chrollo heard the phone get picked up, and while he was hoping it'd be Feitan, he had no such luck.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Hisoka." Chrollo guessed, and he heard a chuckle come through; it was hard to not know what the other man's voice sounded like. It could haunt people's dreams if he used it right.

"How did you know?"

"I can smell your bubblegum perfume from here." he instead said, and he heard another laugh from Hisoka.

"I've actually changed it recently; it's strawberry now. You would've noticed if you had bothered to say 'hi' last time you dropped by." Hisoka guilted him, but Chrollo was more surprised by the change in perfume than the passive aggressiveness of Hisoka's comment.

"Wait, why did you change?"

"Can't a man switch it up every now and then?"

"I mean sure, but it was _your thing_. As in, I'm pretty sure half of your surviving victims get flashbacks to the nightmarish time in whence you attacked them whenever they smell bubblegum, type of thing."

"Hmm, while it certainly _is_ my trademark in a way, I decided that it was time for something new. Plus, can't have people coming and tracing it back to me can we?"

"Not like you were ever afraid of that anyway." Chrollo muttered, and Hisoka laughed.

"Correct as always. Ah, and what is it that Feitan is arguing with Melody about? He doesn't seem keen on letting anything slip."

"I wonder." Chrollo supplied uselessly, and he could just imagine the temporary frown it put on Hisoka's face when he said that.

"If you tell me, I'll give you another reason why I switched my perfume."

"Your hygiene and etiquette is of no interest to me."

"And I'll give you my advice if there is need of any." Hisoka offered again, and Chrollo considered it a bit.

"Should I really trust advice from you though?"

"That's up to you." Hisoka said somewhat seriously, and Chrollo shrugged.

"Alright, it can't do much harm I suppose." he said, getting more comfortable on the couch before continuing. "Feitan is convinced I've been leading Kurapika on in a romantic relationship without asserting what my own feelings are first. He thought it would end in romance now he probably thinks it'll end in disaster."

"Wow," Hisoka said seeming honestly surprised. "This is a much different topic than I imagined it'd be, but I can still help."

"Really now?" Chrollo wondered, and Hisoka tsked.

"Don't go underestimating me Chrollo; you know what happens to those who do."

"I do." Chrollo confirmed, smiling. "So, what have you got for me then?"

"Well, you most certainly are leading him on in what _could_ be interpreted as a romantic relationship, but given that you're both so dense, it isn't doing much in effect on either of you."

"Wait, what?"

" _You're dense Chrollo._ " Hisoka repeated. "And so is he. So while it definitely could have _been_ bad, you and he have already established somewhere along the way that you two were friends, and so until you two sit down and re-establish what new relationship you both will have, everything you two do is going to be viewed through the friend filter."

"How… do you know all of this?"

"I've had a similar affair happen."

"Wait you-"

"Enough about me; I'm not done analyzing your love life." Hisoka interrupted, seeming pleased that he had the honor of doing so. "Unlike Feitan I'm going to force you to face your emotions rather than wait it out, so do bear with me."

Chrollo sighed, trying not to regret his impulsive decision to tell Hisoka what he was going through.

"Alright, go ahead."

"Of course. But first, questions."

"Questions?"

"You heard right."

"Okay…"

"Now, have you two gone on any dates?"

"A few."

"Has he asked for these dates or have you provided them of your own volition?"

"The latter."

"Do you instigate him to come visit you?"

"Most of the time."

"Have you ever visited _him?_ "

"Ye- wait, no, not yet at least."

"Why not?"

"He lives with his parents, apparently. Guess he doesn't want them getting the wrong idea?"

"So he told you you weren't allowed there?"

"Basically."

"Hmm, that is… complicated."

"See? I told Feitan that and he didn't believe me."

"Then he is a fool."

"Sometimes he can be."

"...Perhaps this is out of place to say this, but may I-"

"Give that _back_ Hisoka!" Feitan's voice came in abruptly, and Hisoka laughed, probably lifting the phone high out of Feitan's reach."

"Aww is this _important?_ I would've never _thought_ -"

There was a few grappling noises and then a loud thud, in which Chrollo assumed that the phone had been dropped again.

As he waited patiently for someone to pick the phone up again, he got a text from Kurapika that he was on his way over. Chrollo groaned, if only because he knew he was getting punched again. He tried to recall what he had done this time to deserve the blonde's wrath.

Before he could dwell too much on it, the phone was picked up with Feitan breathing heavily into the receiver.

"Sorry about that."

"It was no problem, he didn't bother me." Chrollo said truthfully. "Did you resolve your argument with Melody?"

"Yes and no. It's ended for now but she said she's gonna find me later to continue it."

"Haha, glad that's not me anymore!" Chrollo teased, and he heard Feitan huff at him.

"Well it's about you, so worry a little more or else I'll tell her everything."

"Hmm, if only I had the capacity for sympathy…"

"You know you damn do and both of us know that."

"Fair enough. I'm sorry."

"That's better." Feitan said before sighing. "Though, thinking about it, it might be easier to tell Melody."

"Why is that?"

"Because she's good friends with Kurapika apparently." Feitan said, seemingly confused. "They've been texting almost daily after you brought him here."

"Oh," Chrollo said, surprised himself; the fact of Kurapika having mentioned Melody over and over again these past few weeks suddenly made a lot more sense with that information. "Then maybe conspire? I don't know? I'm unsure of what to do about this whole thing."

"This is a new experience for all of us I'm sure."

"Not Hisoka."

"What in the hell do you mean 'Not Hisoka'?" Feitan asked incredulously.

"I… uh, good question." Chrollo backpedaled, not even sure if it was his info to give away for not. "Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Feitan gave a discontented grunt but didn't comment further on it.

"Fine. Anyway, I'll talk to her about it later if you need me to, but say so now or forever hold your peace."

"Just do it Feitan." Chrollo sighed as he got another text from Kurapika saying he was almost there. "Also, I've gotta go. Let me know how it all works out."

"Got it. Also, try not to oogle too much at Kurapika today okay?"

"I do not-"

The call was ended just as he was about to finish his sentence, and prevented himself from frustratedly throwing his phone down onto the couch pillow next to him. _Why does Feitan always get in the last word?_

Chrollo took the phone away from his face to look at the time, watching as the minute turned to the next. He kept staring at the clock on his phone, his mind wandering off to the last time he had seen his own clock hovering over his wrist, ticking down as time went by and patiently telling him how long he had left before he would no longer have the opportunity to strike.

Chrollo blinked out of the vision, bringing himself to rub at his eyes in attempt to make the images go away. When all he could see where floating bright dots swimming in his vision, he took it as a sign to stop what he was doing. Taking one last glance at his phone, he placed it face down onto the coffee table and turned onto his side, not even realizing that he was falling asleep as the world faded away from around him.


	9. Decision

Kurapika was, admittedly, very confused when he received a phone call from Melody just as he pulled up to Chrollo's apartment. _What could she possibly want right now?_ He answered the phone, wondering if he should worry.

"Hello?"

"Kurapika where are you right now?"

"Uh, outside of Chrollo's place?"

"Oh good, I caught you before you got to him."

Kurapika blinked a few times, taking the phone away from his ear to give the phone a perplexed look.

"Is there something I need to know about Melody?" he asked wearily, and he heard a voice in the background get shushed halfway through giving a very exasperated "Yes!"

"It's nothing of concern, but maybe something that your attention should be brought to." Melody said.

"Alright… so, what is it?"

"Well, hmm, Feitan, do you want to explain?" Melody ask, presumably turning to Feitan as she did. Kurapika heard a few mumbled words that he couldn't make out except for one sentence that sounded something like "Fuck that shit!" and some stomping noises accompanied by it. "Guess not," Melody said in a disapproving tone. "Even after telling me your side of the story."

"Melody, please, just tell me what in the world is going on over there." Kurapika said, really trying to be patient with the whole thing. He hoped he wasn't making Chrollo wait too long for him.

"Okay, um, well… remember how you and I were talking about uh… feelings the other day?"

"Briefly." Kurapika said, having a bad feeling for where this was going. "Why?"

"Do your feelings still hold true as of now?"

"Depends on which ones you're referring to." he said speculatively. _Why is she being so cryptid?_

"The ones regarding Chrollo."

 _Oh boy._

"Ah."

"'Ah' indeed. So do they?"

"...They do."

"Then my sources say that you most definitely can try to push things forward."

"I did _not_ say that!" Feitan's voice yelled from behind Melody. "Don't listen to a word she says, she doesn't know what she's talking about!"

"Oh, and I suppose you have some type of expertise on romance then?" Melody challenged back. "If not then keep your trap shut, this is important."

"This is not that important." Kurapika said wearily, and he heard Feitan scoff in the background.

"I will have to agree with Melody of this one, but she's wrong in forcing things to change!"

"As if you'd understand the intricacies of the situation!" Melody shouted back, and Kurapika impulsively hit the mute button on his phone so that he could take a breather from the conversation. Or at least, from what _had_ been a conversation until it dissolved into an argument between Melody and Feitan, in which the blonde presumed they had been having before they even called him.

Besides, why did it matter if he _maybe_ had some _slight_ feelings for Chrollo? He was sure they'd go away eventually; they always did. Besides, the two of them became really close friends really quickly, so he just assumed that it was his brain trying to tell him that he should continue to see a growth of intimacy in the relationship, nothing more than that. It was just a hoax, surely. A fleeting feeling. Besides, he and Chrollo _both_ labeled each other as friends, regardless of any extra "feelings," so he most certainly was _not_ going to be the one to break that delicate barrier. Not without Chrollo saying he wanted something more. It was too risky; and even so, how would he know if these feelings weren't just fake, momentary things? He had to wait it out. He wasn't sure for how much longer, but he had to.

With that in mind, he steeled himself for when he unmuted his phone.

"-have a point with that but you can't just assume that only _one_ opinion is needed for this!" came in Feitan's voice a lot louder than Kurapika thought it was going to be, making him flinch and drop his phone.

"Okay but my opinion is the _sensible_ one, whereas yours will take way too long!"

"How about this, why don't we ask Kurapika for his opinion since this is _his_ love life we're meddling with?"

Kurapika quickly picked up the phone when he heard his name, fumbling to get it to face the right way when the question ended.

"First off, it's not even romantic, and second off, it's going to _stay_ that way. I'm not going to try and change things; I'm content with how things are now." he said sternly.

"Wha-? But Kurapika, that's not what you said last time." Melody said, and while he knew it was true, and that he still did _want_ more out of the relationship, he just wasn't comfortable being the one to make it happen.

"I know Melody, but we're just friends. That's how it is."

Feitan groaned in the background and said "You're both so- UGGHHHH!"

"Well, if that's "how it is," then I won't try and push things forward." Melody said gently. "But if you change your mind and want to go through with it, then let me know okay?"

"Okay, I will; thank you Melody." he said, hanging up before anything else could be said on the matter.

Kurapika sighed afterwards, flopping back into his seat with an arm over his eyes. He was glad his friends cared for him, but even so…

He uncovered his eyes and peered up at the door to Chrollo's place, wondering what would happen if he did just go in there and confess–no, _wrong word! It is not a confession! It won't ever be a confession! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

Kurapika smacked himself upside the head. He was really dumb wasn't he? He sighed again and unbuckled his seatbelt and took his keys out of the ignition. _Might as well get going now before you get lost in your thoughts again dumbass._ Kurapika shook his head at his self depreciating thought and walked up to Chrollo's door, which was again, not locked, leaving Kurapika to criticize the other man in his mind.

"Hey Chrollo, you didn't lock your-" Kurapika started saying before stopping when he saw the older man passed out on the couch, probably looking more peaceful than he'd ever seen him, which was something the blonde had a hard time believing himself since Chrollo always looked relaxed. _Maybe he's had a long week._ Kurapika thought to himself as he took a seat on the couch perpendicular to the one Chrollo occupied.

Kurapika brushed some strands of hair out of Chrollo's face, smiling to himself in amusement when Chrollo mumbled something about still needing to know _why_ Hisoka changed his perfume. _Yes,_ Kurapika thought as he continued to pet Chrollo's hair, _things are fine just the way they are._


	10. Love

It was hours later when Chrollo awoke again, not having any sense for where he was until he fell off of his own couch, almost hitting the glass coffee table next to him as he face planted into the carpet. He let out of breath of pain, his body refusing to want to move after having such a pleasant nap, but he was startled when he heard Kurapika's voice.

"Chrollo, are you alright?" he asked, his face coming into view above the other couch.

"I'm fine, I think… when did you get here?"

"When you were asleep?"

"Right… what did you…?"

"I fed your fish. And cleaned some stuff up, while you were out." Kurapika said before turning out of Chrollo's view towards the living area. "I also made food."

"You _what?_ " Chrollo asked, pushing himself off the ground quickly only to hit one of his shoulders on the coffee table. _Ow._ He scrambled up holding onto his bruising shoulder to see Kurapika mixing something in the kitchen as he was greeted by the smell of whatever it was the blonde was cooking. And it smelled _delicious._

"I hope it wasn't too presumptuous of me to do this, I just didn't want to wake you up is all." Kurapika defended quickly when Chrollo had made his way to the kitchen entrance to see what the shorter man was making.

"Oh no it's fine, I hadn't even… wait…" Chrollo saw now that Kurapika had no clock over the back of his hand, but instead was just a regular hand holding a spatula. _If he's not here for a grudge, then what is he here for?_ Chrollo decided to take a stab at asking him.

"Uh, why, um… why are you here?"

Kurapika raised an eyebrow at him, as if it was even stupid to ask, but decided to humor him. "You had invited me over for a date last weekend and we had arranged it for today. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he asked, moving forward to feel his forehead.

Chrollo took a too quick step backwards and ran into the dining table behind him and forcing the chair next to him to be shoved awkwardly to the side. Kurapika stopped what he was doing, looking more concerned than amused by the spectacle Chrollo had just caused.

"Oooookay, I'm going to take that as a 'no' then." Kurapika said, retracting his hand as he went back to finishing up with the food. "You take a seat then and leave the rest to me; I don't want you pushing yourself too hard."

Chrollo nodded, not really sure why he acted the way he did, but decided to oblige with Kurapika's plan. Maybe he wasn't feeling too good after all?

It was only a few minutes later when Kurapika finished the food, turning off the kitchen light as he exited and serving the food to Chrollo, who was at that point famished and ready to eat whatever it was that smelled so savory. Though, it wasn't until he took a few bites into whatever it was that was in front of him did he glance up at Kurapika, a realization slowly dawning on him.

"Kurapika."

The blonde paused in eating to look up at Chrollo.

"Hmm?"

"This is the first time you've hosted a date."

Kurapika blushed profusely at the observation.

"No! This is still yours! Right?"

"Not really; you made the food." _Whatever it is._

"But it's at your house!"

"The place doesn't matter, you still did this all yourself." Chrollo said, gesturing between both of their plates. "This is very much your first time hosting a date."

Kurapika pursed his lips, the blush clinging stingley to his face as he tried to rebuttal Chrollo's claim.

"You-! You probably don't even know what this is! I could be feeding you poison for all you know!"

"But you still made it especially for us didn't you?" Chrollo said smiling, enjoying Kurapika's flustered face _way_ too much. "Whether I die from it or not is irrelevant."

Kurapika seemed to contemplate with himself for a while before eventually just sticking his tongue out at Chrollo before resuming to eat. Chrollo shrugged and counted it as a win-win. Not only had he gotten the last word in on the subject, but it appeared that Kurapika's grudge clock hadn't appeared because of it either.

After that they had light conversation about what they had been up to since they last saw each other, Kurapika's inquiries more focused on if he had been getting enough sleep in which Chrollo reassured him that _"Yes, I am, please don't be all too concerned with it, please, you'll ruin your own sleep that way."_

"Alright but really Kurapika, what is in what you made?"

"Chrollo, it's just a standard Mexican dish."

"Do I _look_ like I'm Mexican cuisine connoisseur?"

"...No." Kurapika answered with some difficulty, but he seemed like he wouldn't give over the answer so easily. "But I do expect you to know _some_ food groups!"

"Well sure I mean, there is some beans, cheese, some rice, and tortillahs-"

" _Tortillas_."

"Yeah yeah, flat corn bread or something; and some type of meat? I think?"

"Chrollo, these tortillas weren't even made of corn, they were made of flour."

"Oh."

"And second, it was meat; a sausage more specifically."

"That did _not_ taste like a sausage."

"What were you expecting? German sausage?"

"No? Yes? I don't know!" Chrollo shrugged, glancing back into the kitchen to look at the pan, trying to evaluate if there was still some left over. "But whatever it was, it was good."

There was a pause before Kurapika responded.

"It was chorizo. It's good, but for some reason it's hard to find in some stores."

"Aww, that sucks." Chrollo said, but his response only garnered a weird look from Kurapika.

"...Chrollo, it both amazes and disturbs me how you don't know what's in your own fridge."

"Wait, _I_ had that?"

"Yes, Chrollo. Everything from this meal was in your fridge and pantry."

"...I… I don't cook a lot." he defended, and it managed to make Kurapika chuckle and crack a smile at him.

"As I can see. The eggs were almost about to go bad."

"Where in the hell did you use eggs in this meal?"

"With the chorizo."

Chrollo closed his eyes dramatically, as he slowly raised one hand and gently placed it on his face.

"I am a fool."

"You speak the truth for once." Kurapika said as Chrollo gave him an overly offended look from across the table, placing a hand over his chest in a dainty manner.

"I have _never_ been so _insulted!_ "

Kurapika bursted out laughing at the reaction, and that's when Chrollo dropped his act in order to fully pay attention to and watch the blonde across from him be in such a state of joy. He wondered if this… this _affectionate_ feeling in himself was what others would describe as love. _Is this really all this is to it?_ Chrollo thought as Kurapika began wiping at the tears having formed in his eyes. _Surely it must be something mor-_

"Chrollo, you just keep on proving how truly special you are to me." Kurapika said, his smile as radiant as the setting sun, and that's when Chrollo felt it. His heart speeding up, his eyes widen, his palms become sweaty, his senses heightened to where everything in the air felt palpable to him. _This is it,_ he thought. _This is love._


	11. Escalation

Kurapika immediately regretted saying those words as soon as he let the air pass by his lips to make the sounds for the sentence, because everything became very still, very _surreal._ It didn't feel like time was passing anymore, but his mind was already running a hundred miles a minute about his newest mistake.

 _I thought we weren't supposed to tell him yet? I thought we wanted things to stay the same? Maybe this is the time to change, but I bet you're going to back out of this as soon as the chance presents itself you coward!_

Kurapika wanted to prove himself wrong about wanting to escape this whole situation, but he was already out of his seat, grabbing his plate and walking past Chrollo and into the kitchen to wash it, not even bothering to turn on the kitchen light as he did. _Once I'm done with this, I'm going to leave,_ he told himself. Or, that was his intended plan until he saw his clock slowly illuminate above his skin, the countdown starting from **24:00:00** and then counting down slowly. He could only watch in horror as it ticked down second by second. _Who was this grudge even against?_

Chrollo still hadn't moved from his spot at the table, Kurapika noted, so he hastily finished cleaning and drying his dishes in what little moonlight the window provided before trying to hide the brightly glowing timer with his long sleeves. Kurapika didn't even hear Chrollo get up, but he did hear his voice loud and clear right behind him.

"Are you alright?"

Kurapika turned around faster than he wanted to, making his head feel dizzy and his vision swim, but he ignored it in favor of addressing Chrollo's concern so that he wouldn't pay attention to him.

"Yeah, yes. Absolutely fine. You uh, you didn't grab your dish…" Kurapika noted, thinking previously that the other had gotten up to clean his own dish. "Why are you-"

"What is that." Chrollo said, no question about it. _He saw it._ Kurapika decided he would try to bluff the older man.

"Nothing."

 _Wow, he'll definitely believe_ _that, genius._

"Is it something that I did?" Chrollo asked, ignoring the blonde's blatant lie. Kurapika felt an immense wave of guilt at Chrollo's question, and he wasted no time in comforting him, not even caring at that point if the clock was visible, his sleeve slipping down and revealing the bright red timer above his hand.

"No it's nothing you did! This isn't even for you, it's… it's…"

"Kurapika, what else could it be for?" Chrollo asked almost sadly, and it pulled at Kurapika's heart to hear that tone in his voice. Kurapika gripped onto Chrollo's shirt but he couldn't think of a way to say what he _thought_ it was without sounding really dumb, but the older man's eyes were so full of guilt at himself that Kurapika threw out the notion of sounding stupid altogether. This wasn't just about him after all.

"...myself." Kurapika finally answered, seeing that the answer caught Chrollo by surprise. "I'm just angry at myself."

"Is that… even possible?" Chrollo questioned, and Kurapika shook his head, because this was new to him too, but it was better than letting Chrollo feel as if he had done something wrong when he really hadn't.

"I'm not sure, but there is only one way to find out." Kurapika said, backing a bit aways from Chrollo, his back hitting the countertop behind him. _Self sabotage._ "Punch me."

"What?" Chrollo asked incredulously, and really, you wouldn't think the guy had previously been an assassin by the reaction he had given Kurapika. "I- I can't do that to you!"

"But you have to; I need to get revenge on myself." _And to prove to myself that we'll never be more than friends and that I shouldn't have pushed the boundary, no matter how slight._

Chrollo frowned, seeming distressed by the decision he was seemingly given. To punch or not to punch, were the options. Kurapika was willing to wait there all night if that's what it took to get the older man to punch him. Kurapika decided to try one more time to convince the other man of his plan.

"Please." he said almost in a whisper. _And make it hard enough to where I'm knocked out cold too, please and thanks,_ he added in his thoughts.

Chrollo's lips thinned at the ushering, his mind appearing to be made up about his next plan of action. He stepped forward and Kurapika squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the impact, but it never came, because apparently there was a third option that the older man had come up with, an option that Kurapika himself didn't even dare to take into consideration.

When Kurapika felt Chrollo's hand hold the small of his back his eyes flew open, his mouth ready to protest that this was not part of the plan, but he was immediately silenced by Chrollo's lips on his own, his voice of reason instead turning into a hum of satisfaction. One that he found _incredibly embarrassing._ But it didn't seem to phase Chrollo at all, who pulled back and smiled down gently at him, making Kurapika's heart do really stupid things like pound really loudly in his ears and make him feel like his body was on fire.

"I think your problem is solved now." Chrollo said, his voice attractively husky as his free hand slid down Kurapika's arm and tenderly brought up the hand that used to have the clock on it into the blonde's eye view, the back of the hand as smooth and unilluminated as it always was without any traces of an ominous hovering circle over his skin.

Kurapika could only stare at his hand, awestruck at the simplicity at which Chrollo had quickly resolved the situation. And with what? A fucking _kiss._ _Like some dumb fairy tale,_ his mind teased him.

"I'm sorry if it was presumptive of me to do that, but I really didn't want to hurt you." Chrollo said after clearing his throat, his voice going back to normal. "I think I'm in the clear since your clock isn't back, but if you still want to punch me for it-"

Kurapika grabbed a fistful of Chrollo's shirt, and rather than hold him there and sucker punch him like the other was surely expecting, the blonde pulled him forward and sealed his lips with his own, quickly and purposefully devolving the kiss into something more heated and passionate than the simple peck Chrollo had given Kurapika just a few moments earlier.

Kurapika pulled at the bottom of Chrollo's shirt to pull him closer, the blonde arching into his body, eliciting a groan from Chrollo when he did so. Chrollo's hands found their way to Kurapika's hips where he held them in order to keep his balance, making a weird tingly feeling shoot up the blonde's spine. When they both parted to breathe, Chrollo gave a weak laugh.

"What brought this on?"

"You didn't punch me, so I didn't punch you." Kurapika replied, trying to not sound as out of breath as he felt.

"That's some interesting logic you have there." Chrollo said, one of his hands moving to rest on the side of Kurapika's face, the movement causing the blonde's earring to swing lightly. Kurapika had to remind himself to b _reathe goddammit, he isn't that attractive!_

"You're really attractive." Kurapika murmured instead, only realizing that he had said that out loud when Chrollo sucked in a breath to respond back just as quietly.

"You are too."

A split second later and their lips met again, any and all thoughts of rationality and pride thrown to the side. Chrollo's hands cupped Kurapika's face and Kurapika mimicked the gesture, trying to pull the taller man impossibly closer to him than before. Chrollo moved his hands down Kurapika's chest and stomach to rest on his hips again, his thumbs tracing circles on the blonde's exposed skin. Kurapika shuddered a breath into their kiss because of it, losing most of the air he had left in him and prompting him to pull back earlier than he had wanted to.

When Chrollo and Kurapika parted, they pressed their foreheads against each other's, taking a bit of time to actually breathe this time around. They both stood there like that for what felt like hours holding each other, Chrollo leaning against Kurapika and Kurapika leaning back up against the kitchen counter, relishing in the moment where their minds had yet to catch up with their actions.

"Well, this isn't how I saw the night going." Kurapika remarked, making Chrollo laugh darkly, and it _really_ wasn't fair how turned on it made Kurapika.

"Neither did I. I'm just glad I didn't do something rash like push you up onto the counter like I had wanted to." Chrollo admitted laughingly, and if Kurapika was being honest with himself, he would not have minded that _at all. In fact…_

"Maybe you should do it anyway." Kurapika said, placing his hands on Chrollo's shoulders. He quickly debated whether or not to continue, but then decided to say _fuck it_ and say what he wanted anyway. "I don't think I have any plans for tomorrow anyway, so…"

Kurapika let the sentence taper, watching Chrollo's reaction carefully when he did. It seemed to take the older man a few seconds to process what the blonde had said, but when it finally sank in, Kurapika was unable to prepare for Chrollo literally _lifting him off the ground_ and pushing him onto the countertop, then taking ahold of the back of the blonde's head and pulling him into a deep kiss.

The energy of it all felt so raw to Kurapika that he felt his head get dizzy instantly from it, his arms and legs wrapping around Chrollo to pull him closer in attempt to have something stable to hold onto. It didn't seem to help all that much since Chrollo was the _source_ for his hazed mind, but he couldn't bring himself to care, letting the older man take control of the kiss as he let himself float in the bliss…

That is, until Chrollo's phone rang really loudly from the living room, startling the both of them enough to where Kurapika had released Chrollo from his grip, which lead Chrollo into falling backwards and running into the countertop opposite of the one they'd just been near. They stared at each other with wide eyes, everything that had just transpired between them flashing before their eyes, their regrets started to catch up to them as Chrollo's phone continued ringing in the background.

Kurapika quickly became self conscious and closed his parted legs and hid his face behind one of his arms, coughing to clear his throat.

"You're uh… you're phone is ringing." Kurapika stated rather obviously, and that seemed to snap Chrollo out of his owlish staring.

"Ah, right." Chrollo said, his voice a bit hoarse. He briskly escaped from the kitchen, walking to the living room to get his phone.

As he did that, Kurapika lightly touched at his lips that he was sure were bruised by the force at which they had been… kissing. His face heated up immediately at the thought, but he didn't have much time to think about it, because he heard his name get called.

"Kurapika."

Originally, the blonde was going to assume that he was being called out to talk about what had just happened, but when he hopped off the counter and walked out of the kitchen, Chrollo was standing near the dining table, looking at his phone in… a despondent way.

Kurapika immediately became concerned, and decided that whatever was going on now was more important than any awkward feelings they may have had for each other.

"Chrollo? What's wrong?" Kurapika asked, grabbing ahold to his other hand that had been lying helplessly by Chrollo's side. It was slow, but Chrollo slowly gripped at Kurapika's hand, as if trying to prevent himself from doing something.

"Hisoka…" Chrollo started, then swallowed a lump in his throat before continuing. "Hisoka has turned up dead."

 **End of Part I**


	12. Fight

_Long time no see! Part two is here, just like I said! Also this series is definitely not going to be finished in just two parts; it may go into three or (science forbid) FOUR parts! Hopefully I figure it out soon (I will I promise), but for now, please enjoy Grudge Rule - The Eleventh Hour!_

* * *

 **Part II**

 **The Eleventh Hour**

There was a devastated silence after Kurapika and Chrollo had received the news of Hisoka's death, mostly consisting of Chrollo sitting motionless in a chair and staring nowhere in particular while Kurapika sat next to him, unsure of how to comfort the despondent man. After a few minutes of being in the uncomfortably quiet apartment, Kurapika tried to convince Chrollo to go check up on his former colleagues, not knowing if Chrollo would even respond or not.

"This has probably shaken them as much as it has you; we should probably go there and assist them in any way we can."

"No," Chrollo said, surprising Kurapika. The other man's voice was hard and his face unreadable. "I'm sorry, but this is… more serious than you think."

"More serious than I think? Chrollo, Hisoka is _dead,_ what is more serious than death?"

"That the killer was able to _defeat_ Hisoka, and get away _alive,"_ Chrollo countered, obviously trying to fight back any emotions he had, though he was doing a very poor job in concealing it.

Kurapika didn't know what to do. It was all new to him; he'd no idea on how to act to the news of someone dying.

He had never experienced the pain of losing someone close, of having to cope with the event, while having to manage his feelings when being first confronted with it. He had counted himself lucky for never having known this, but now he wished that somewhere along the way that he had, so that he'd be able to better help Chrollo go through it.

"Kurapika, could you stay the night? I don't…"

"I'll stay," Kurapika said, placing a hand on the side of Chrollo's arm. "I'll stay as long as you need me to."

"...Thank you," Chrollo finally said, giving what Kurapika figured was all he could muster of a smile at the moment. "I don't want to lose anyone else tonight."

The night was uneventful after that, Kurapika staying the night, close to Chrollo, and then being escorted rather protectively back to his house the next morning before his parents had even awoken. And now Kurapika sat, worrying over Chrollo and the whole of the situation of what had just occurred not even 24 hours ago.

He texted Melody and asked how she was holding up, but got no immediate response. He huffed, knowing that he shouldn't expect one so soon, but couldn't help but feel anxious.

 _"'That the killer was able to defeat Hisoka, and get away alive.'"_

Kurapika repeated Chrollo's words to himself, feeling as if the more he said them, the more he worried about it. But they were true. Someone had taken out Hisoka and no one knew their motives or what their next move would be, if there was to be any "next move." Kurapika groaned as he slid on his back and under his bed sheets, feeling helpless in this situation.

There were two knocks at his door, and then a voice spoke.

"Kurapika, are you back?"

"I'm back," Kurapika reluctantly said, pushing himself up as he prepared for an interrogation.

"May I come in?"

"Of course."

Kurapika's dad walked in, still in his pajamas. Kurapika didn't comment, but was relieved that it would be short, seeing as his dad had yet to retrieve his coffee.

"Your mother and I worried about you last night," he began, sitting down awkwardly at the end of Kurapika's bed.

"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."

His dad frowned.

"Don't be, it's a parent's job to worry about their child, especially when their spouse somehow convinces you to watch serial killer documentaries 'for fun.'" Kurapika's dad said, shaking his head slowly, as if disappointed in himself for falling for such ploys.

Kurapika held back a laugh, but was unable to hold back his smile, his father's presence making him grounded and relaxed.

"Mom always did like watching unnecessarily scary things."

"It's ridiculous," his dad continued, still shaking his head. "She always goes 'Eidos it's okay, I won't go overboard this time!' and then picks something that has us both cowering behind the couch wrapped up in blankets as if _that'd_ give us any protection from the things we watch!"

"You're ranting again," Kurapika pointed out, and Eidos smiled.

"I am. But you are okay, right? No weird murder shenanigans last night?" his dad asked, not at all hiding his paranoia.

Kurapika paused, because he couldn't actually say no without straight up lying to his father's face, and he disliked the idea of doing so. He instead decided to skirt around the truth.

"Didn't see any as far as I could tell."

"Good," Eidos said with a nod. "The world is full of danger Kurapika, I'm just glad you have people to look after you again. After Pairo left I had wondered if you'd be able to find companions again."

Kurapika's jaw tightened, but he forced a smile.

"How rude."

Eidos stuck his tongue out.

"Not if I'm making you breakfast. It'll be done in about twenty minutes, by the way."

"Okay," Kurapika said, waving his dad out. Eidos stuck his tongue out once more before closing the door behind him, leaving Kurapika to his thoughts.

 _Serial killer,_ Kurapika's thoughts repeated back to him. He really hoped not. He didn't like the idea either. Having one death was enough to bring people to their knees in mourning, but multiple? He couldn't imagine what it could do to anyone, what it would do to _Chrollo._ Kurapika checked his phone, seeing that Melody still had yet to text back. He closed his eyes, and released the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

 _Serial killer._

He sat up quickly and got out of bed, getting dressed and ready for the day faster than he could remember in a long time. When he walked down stairs, his dad turned around.

"It'll be done in fifteen- where are you going?"

"Out. I have something to do real quick," Kurapika said, slipping his shoes on at the door. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Alright, be careful," Eidos said, his words meaning more to Kurapika than his father could ever fathom.

"I will," was the blonde's reply, and then he was out.

The seconds crawled by into minutes, and the minutes dragged slowly into half an hour. The wait was almost driving Kurapika crazy by the time he heard the bus driver announce their arrival to Soasis City. When he got off, he basically ran all the way to Chrollo's apartment, passing the other man's car and panting as he reached the door marked 213. He subconsciously reached for the door but found that it was locked, causing an alarm to go off in Kurapika's head.

He slowly moved his hand away from the handle, catching his breath as he tried to rationalize the purpose of the door, which had never been locked since he knew Chrollo, and why it would be locked of all times now.

"He's probably out," Kurapika told himself out loud, but he knew he wasn't. He had seen Chrollo's car parked outside, he had just passed it on his way to the stairs. Chrollo was home.

Kurapika breathed in and out in a steady pace, trying to calm himself down. He was overreacting, he had no business being here. He had told Chrollo he'd give him space, convincing himself he'd allow at least a week's worth of privacy, but yet here he was, back again and trying to barge in like he owned the place.

As he stood there, it took a while before Kurapika realized he had traveled all the way here only to stand at Chrollo's doorstep with nothing but intense anxiety keeping him rooted in place. He hadn't moved since arriving, and his legs were starting to ache at the strain of it.

Kurapika sighed, rubbing at his eyes as he turned around, ready to go back home to his dad, who was probably finishing up with breakfast by now. That is, until the door opened up behind him.

"Kurapika?"

The blonde whirled around at his name, not having anything to defend himself with for why he could possibly be there. Again.

"I… uh," he began, but paused when he finally _looked_ at Chrollo. "What… are you wearing?"

Chrollo glanced down at himself, then back at Kurapika, then back at himself.

"Uh… clothes?" Chrollo said unconvincingly.

Kurapika raised an eyebrow at that, turning completely towards him and crossing his arms. The older man was clearly wearing something akin to stealth gear, which Kurapika tried to not compare to some of the clothes he had seen worn in combat games.

"Really?"

"Really."

They stared at each other in silence, both keen on saying nothing more until the other budged. Finally, Chrollo spoke up.

"You should go back home."

"Your door was locked," Kurapika countered. Chrollo stiffened visibly. "Let me in."

"I… can't do that."

Kurapika frowned at the response, but tried to keep his tongue in check. Getting mad wouldn't do him any good right now.

"Why not?"

"You can't get involved with this."

"With _what_ Chrollo?" Kurapika asked, his anger surfacing despite his logic telling him not to. He was exhausted, sick of worry, and _now_ he was being told that this wasn't even his _problem?_ Like hell it was! "Get involved with Hisoka? Your old work place? _You?_ That's a little too late to say that, especially after with what happened last night, don't you think?"

Chrollo flushed, though Kurapika couldn't tell if it was from rage or embarrassment, but just the mention of the night before had him wishing he'd kept that part to himself. Now all he could remember was how close he'd been to Chrollo, how they had held each other—

"It's best to cut– no, it's just best if you don't associate yourself with me. Or anyone you met while with me. I'm sorry." Chrollo said, face forced to look impassive as he began to close the door. Kurapika stepped forward and bodily got between the door and wall.

"If you push me out of this I will go looking for the killer myself, and there will be nothing you could do to stop me if I did."

Chrollo gaped.

"You would _not—"_

"I would," Kurapika affirmed, pushing the door open so that he could stand confidently in front of Chrollo. "Now it's your choice to let me in on whatever you're doing–" he gestured to the all black clothing Chrollo was wearing "–or push me away."

Chrollo opened his mouth, then closed it, seeming to have an internal battle on what to do. It wasn't long before Chrollo pulled Kurapika inside and closed the door firmly behind him, locking it when he did. Chrollo's demeanor had changed, but Kurapika was willing to bet it was because of how exhausted he was. Or at least, he hoped it was.

"The only reason you're in here is because you'd get yourself killed otherwise," Chrollo clarified, not even giving Kurapika another glance as he walked briskly into… what _used_ to be the living room.

Presently, the glass coffee table was pushed all the way to the side and out of the way of where all of the dark wooden cases littered the ground. The few that were open were facing away from where Kurapika stood, but the blonde had a suspicion on what they were. What _all_ of them were.

"Do you really need this much fire power?" Kurapika asked, leaning on the back of a couch as he did.

Chrollo turned and glared at Kurapika from where he had sat amongst the boxes, and Kurapika couldn't help but feel his veins go icy from the look. Chrollo had never really been mad at him or even slightly upset during the time he'd known the older man, so feeling now that he was on the wrong end of Chrollo's raw emotions was like a jolt into reality.

"You've clearly never been an assassin before," was all Chrollo graced him with before setting back to inspecting his dozens of weapons, all ranging from sniper rifles to handguns to even a couple dozen grenades and combat knives. Kurapika frowned. Something was _definitely_ wrong.

"You didn't answer my question," Kurapika pointed out, seeing if he would receive the same treatment as before.

Chrollo paused in his work, holding a cleaning rag aloft from the weapon in his other hand. Kurapika could see that the older man's knuckles were white, and the air changed from cold to tense, something Kurapika was hoping wouldn't happen.

"I don't need to give you one."

Kurapika opened his mouth, but found he was too shocked to fight about what he'd just said. Chrollo took this as an invitation to continue.

"And as I told you, you shouldn't get involved. And you won't as far as I'm concerned. Now, you can be 'involved' if that's really what you want, but all it requires you to do is to just stay out of the way until it's all done."

Kurapika felt anger bubbling up inside of him again, and despite his best to check himself, he was really too tired to deal with Chrollo's bullshit.

"You know something Lucilfer? Maybe you're right. I shouldn't involve myself with you anymore. And maybe I never should have in the first place," Kurapika said loudly, standing when Chrollo looked over in surprise. He waited for Chrollo's reaction, and when it only turned sour, Kurapika spoke up before he could. "Have a good day."

He turned and went to the door, hearing Chrollo's movements as he presumably got up from what he was doing, dropping what was in his hands as well. Kurapika turned the knob, but it stopped short, and the blonde cursed under his breath as he remembered Chrollo's new locking policy. He managed to unlock it before Chrollo's hand was on his left arm.

"Stop this."

"Stop _what_ exactly?" Kurapika demanded, rounding on Chrollo, though the older man's hand stayed persistently on his arm. "That I might possibly go after Hisoka's killer? That I might leave here? That I might leave _you?"_

Chrollo's eyes widened at that, his grip also loosening on his arm, but Kurapika didn't stop. He was done here.

"Maybe I'll do all three of those things. In fact, I probably will," he opened the door with his right hand and gave Chrollo one last look, tearing his other arm free from the older man's now slack grip. "I hate to say it, but Melody was right about you."

With that said, Kurapika walked out and closed the door behind him, the tears he'd been fighting back finally breaking free and rolling down his cheeks when he finally left the vicinity of Chrollo's apartment.


	13. Plan

_I can see it now, the questions of "Why did you make them fight Gold? What compelled you to do this?" The answer is nothing. I didn't do a damn thing. Those two fools fought by themselves and I just wrote it. I had to ALTER THE PLOT AROUND THOSE TWO! But that's fine. Everything is fine. I am a competent writer and I got this... I think..._

* * *

The very next day Chrollo woke up crying, and it took himself a while to calm down before the scenes from the day before flashed through his head, releasing another wave of tears as he attempted to compose himself.

He had been so _stupid._ He knew he shouldn't have been so standoffish with Kurapika, and yet he went and acted like a jerk anyway and pushed him even _further_ away.

A hand fell onto Chrollo's back comfortingly, Feitan's groggy voice sputtering out Chinese in the most comforting way the shorter man could think of despite being so dead tired.

 _"Shhhh, no more tears brother. When we're done, no more tears will be needed."_

Chrollo nodded, knowing that Feitan was right. The older man looked over at all the paper files on the floor of the room and followed its trail out to the dining room, where both his and Feitan's laptops sat, still running stats, locations, and suspects.

Chrollo sighed and pushed the heels of his palm into his eyes until he saw rainbow lights moving behind his eyelids. He tried to will them to take shape into something, _anything_ to distract him from the pain he had caused himself, but all the shapes and colors did was remind him of Kurapika's last glance at him before stepping out of his house yesterday.

Chrollo had called Melody right after Kurapika had left, hoping she could clarify on what the blonde had meant by her being right about him, but all she did was get really concerned and asked what happened. And when Chrollo failed to tell her what she wanted, she hung up on him (in the politest way he'd ever been hung up on) and he hadn't heard from her since.

He couldn't even work on his weapons after that, instead putting them all back in place and stacking them in the corner of the living room, then opting out of eating breakfast to stare at the ceiling fan as he contemplated his life decisions.

Chrollo couldn't recall how long he stayed there, let alone why he had gotten dressed up in his old stealth gear until he heard the doorknob rattle.

He falsely hoped it would be Kurapika, but seconds later he heard clicking noises that stopped for a quick second before his front door swung open heavily, hitting the wall hard enough to make his poor indoor fish swim in frantic circles in their tank at the unexpected shaking.

"Chrollo, may I ask what in the _fuck_ you are doing right now?" Feitan asked, stepping into his view a few seconds later wearing a gray poncho and a dark red scarf around his face.

"Regretting."

"Tough. But you promised to meet me at eleven and it's now half past noon."

Chrollo internally sighed, closing his eyes to prevent any water from surfacing. He was exhausted, and needed a good cry. But he couldn't do that now, not now that Feitan was here. Chrollo opened his eyes.

"Well... fuck."

Feitan was silent, but he dropped his gear onto the couch and crouched next to his brother, studying him before asking softly in Chinese.

 _"What happened?"_

 _"I made a mistake."_

Feitan scoffed as if that were obvious, but Chrollo couldn't bother himself to feel offended. He had made many mistakes, but pissing off Kurapika and driving him away was by far one of the most consequential ones ever. He could deal with a few injuries, a few scars, a few weeks of recovery. But feelings? Emotions? Pain he couldn't make go away with medication? It was _unbearable._

A moment later and Chrollo heard the door close and the lock click into place along with deliberate shuffling as the sound of boots hitting the carpeted floor of his apartment accompanied it. There was some more unhurried shuffling until Feitan's body fell next to Chrollo's, the shorter man also staring at the ceiling fan as it spun in the lazy circles of the lowest setting available.

 _"What did he do?"_ Feitan asked, and Chrollo knew who he was referring to, but immediately rejected it.

"He did nothing wrong."

 _"Then why are you like this? You alone didn't cause this,"_ Feitan accused, though it wasn't meant to be mean. The shorter man elbowed Chrollo gently, nudging him to respond. Chrollo waited a moment before sighing, and taking in a shaky breath before responding.

 _"He broke my heart."_

 _"That bastard–"_ Feitan immediately sat up, already pushing himself off the floor when Chrollo dragged him back to the ground.

"It's okay, it's _fine—"_

"It is clearly _not fine_ Chrollo! You think I'm gonna let him get away with this? He better pray he has a powerful god or so help me—"

"Feitan!"

Feitan stopped, a thin, unhappy line present for his lips as his scarf fell from his face. He eyed Chrollo, as if ready to find any excuse to go after Kurapika, but Chrollo didn't give him one.

"He only did it, because… I did it first…"

Feitan didn't show any surprise if he had any, but his lips turned into a frown, unsure of the situation now.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I said some things I shouldn't have and… fell back into a bad habit."

"Which one?"

Chrollo grimaced.

"The impulsive and pushy one."

Feitan gave an aghast look at him.

"What did you do? Why would you resort to-"

"I don't know!" Chrollo interjected, covering his face with his hands. "I just- I don't want him to get hurt… and that's all I could think of. He wanted to be involved so..."

"No…" Feitan said, almost a little too dramatically, but it was appropriate for the moment. "Did you tell him his job was to _hide?_ Chrollo… that never went over well for anyone, especially if that's their _only_ job…"

Chrollo cringed inwardly.

"I know, I know. I fucked up _royally._ And the worst part isn't even that Melody could be hunting my ass down this very minute, or that Hisoka is dead and his killer is on the loose. The worst part is that I think he meant what he said when he said he was leaving me," Chrollo groaned.

Feitan stilled next to him.

"He said that?"

"No? Yes? I don't know! I just know that if he doesn't come back, I wouldn't blame him. After what I did, I wouldn't want to be around me either. I'm a dangerous, dishonest man—"

"Stop it!" Feitan snapped, slapping him on his arm for good measure. "Don't say that about yourself! You may be miserable but it's not the end of the world. And as far as I've gathered, you're doing this because you don't want him hurt by Hisoka's killer, right?"

"Right…" Chrollo hesitantly agreed, wondering where Feitan was going with this. His brother smiled a wicked smile that Chrollo couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing that he was already on board with whatever Feitan would say.

"Well, the killer can't get to Kurapika if you get to the killer first now can he?"

Chrollo mustered a smile at what his brother was hinting.

"No, they can't."


	14. Comfort

Kurapika had to admit, he missed visiting Chrollo. It hurt more than he thought to not see him whenever he felt like it, and after what he told the older man, he wouldn't be surprised that if he went back he would get completely rejected to even be in the other's presence.

He wanted to cry, but he had done plenty of that last week. When he had gotten home, his father was overly concerned for him, but surprisingly didn't ask any prying questions. Just sat Kurapika down at the dinner table, reheated breakfast for him, and sat next him to retell the ridiculous stories Anahita had sent him about her work.

Kurapika appreciated the gesture, glad that he could at least rely on his dad for troubles like this. Though, when Kurapika was about to explain everything, Eidos just shushed him and led him to the couch, handed him the remote, and told him to choose a movie.

"It'll make you feel better. Whichever one you want; even if it's scary, I'll watch it with you."

"But—"

"Kurapika," his father started, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. You don't have to talk about it now. Take your time with it. I'll listen when you want me to, but I don't want you to feel obligated to tell me."

Kurapika smiled at his dad, feeling tears well up in his eyes again but he ignored them, instead picking up the remote and scrolling for a movie. He avoided any he knew had any type of romance in it, which ended up proving difficult seeing as most movies did, but he eventually settled on a documentary on astrophysics and how they corresponded with the solar system.

His dad smiled at his choice and ruffled his hair, pulling blankets off from the back of the couch to wrap around them as the documentary started up with a basic introduction to the history of astronomy.

It was probably halfway through when Eidos got a call from work that he had to take, so he paused the documentary and went to his office to get some files he was asked for. As Kurapika sat there his phone buzzed as well, and he pulled it out to see that it was a call from Melody. He hesitated on answering, remembering what Chrollo had said about basically cutting all ties with him and his coworkers, but Kurapika was still concerned about her, and she had still yet to answer the text he sent her, so he answered.

"Hey Melody," Kurapika greeted, his voice cracking as he did. He didn't care to think too deeply on why it did.

"Oh Kurapika… you even sound bad… Is everything alright?" Melody asked, her concern immediately on how he was doing, which he thought was strange, but ignored.

"I'm fine, how are you though? I'm sorry about Hisoka, I only knew him for such a short time and yet—"

"No, it's alright, don't feel guilty about that," Melody reassured him, seeming out of breath. "He… definitely will be missed. It's hard to replace someone like that ya'know? Not just in skills, obviously, but in personality as well. It'll certainly be weird not having him around… ah! But I'm doing fine just… a little shocked is all."

"A little? I can't… Melody, I don't believe that," Kurapika said honestly. "Even Chrollo is shaken by this. This incident is definitely worse than you're letting on."

Melody stayed silent for a while before sighing into the speaker.

"It… is a big deal," she eventually admitted, then she hesitated before saying, "but that's not what I called you for."

Kurapika took in a steadying breath before responding.

"Melody… I… please… not right now."

"Can you at least tell me what happened?" she asked, almost in a begging tone. "He didn't give very many details, and I need to know if I need to slap this man silly for hurting you in such an awful time. I don't care how much he's suffering, I will-"

"No." Kurapika said sternly, and he winced at how much he sounded like his mother. "I mean– just–" he sighed. "Melody, I've already hurt him enough. He doesn't need more added onto it.

"What'd you do?"

"I… told him… that I should've never gotten to know him, and then implied that I would leave him for good."

Melody made a soft gasping sound that Kurapika barely heard, but he knew it sounded bad that way. And he felt awful for it. But some part of him told him he was justified in what he did, not matter how much the other part of him protested to the idea.

"Kurapika, what else happened? That can't be it… you wouldn't say that without good reason and—"

"Can we please talk about this later?" Kurapika asked, glancing at his dad's office as he saw Eidos's feet teeter between leaving and staying in the office as he double checked the files in his hand.

"...Sure, just make sure to call or text me okay? We can maybe even arrange a meeting or something if you'd like."

"Alright, sounds great," Kurapika said, smiling even though she couldn't see it. "Bye Melody."

"Bye Kurapika."

When he hung up, his dad walked back into the living room, shaking his head with his phone held between his face and shoulder as it played elevator music on the speakers. He was on hold.

"You would think a bunch of scientists," Eidos began, plopping on the couch next to Kurapika as he did, "wouldn't need to be reminded of research they conducted less than a year ago, but here we are! Looking it up again because no one else saved their files but me! Not that I blame them, I can barely remember last week and I hate how much paperwork I keep, but still!"

"Dad."

"Yes Kurapika?"

"You're ranting again."

Eidos smiled warmly, ruffling Kurapika's hair when he did.

"You're right, I am," he turned back to the phone, his expression changing as the elevator music ended and someone picked up, the phone switching off from speaker mode.

"No, no, it's fine, call me if you need these copies faxed to you the next time they need the information. Yes, I understand, but having it on hand is probably easier than playing telephone now isn't it? Yes… uh-huh… sure, sure, not a problem. Of course. Have a good day."

When Eidos hung up he sighed a heavy sigh, placing the files and his phone to the side before looking at Kurapika and handing him the TV remote.

"Now, how about we finish this documentary and then go out to eat afterwards?" he suggested, and Kurapika smiled.

"With what money?" asked Kurapika suspiciously, crossing his arms as his father grinned at him.

"This credit card," Eidos said as he pulled out a gold card and waved it at Kurapika. "Your mother said to use it during emergencies, and I think this counts for that."

"...Do you think that it includes getting ice cream afterwards as well?" Kurapika asked, and Eidos gave him a soft smile, petting his hair again in a loving way.

"Absolutely."


	15. Search

Overall, Chrollo had to conclude that it had been a successful week so far. He and Feitan had managed to get more information on the killer despite the initial lack of evidence of either any blood or body. While the new information wasn't much either, it still brightened up Chrollo's demeanor just enough to make Feitan smile at him.

"Do you miss this?" asked Feitan, and Chrollo almost lost his good mood over the question.

"No. This job was awful for me."

"But you miss hunting people down," Feitan pointed out. "It may have destroyed you mentally when you were stuck in this environment, but this is what you _enjoy."_

 _"Feitan."_

"I know, I know, I'm just saying," Feitan shrugged as he leaned back into his chair to stretch, his back cracking a bit when he did. "Hard to let these skills go, but you'll never get over the thrill. It's just a simple fact."

"I think I can live without it again after this," Chrollo said to himself, but Feitan still gave him a disbelieving look from where he sat. Chrollo ignored him in favor of looking over the information they had found.

"Hey, Chrollo."

"Hm?"

"What are the chances that we already know the killer?"

"Don't be ridiculous Feitan," Chrollo said shaking his head as he did. "Those chances would be pretty slim, especially since most other managers in this area know of us. We all know the rules with how we treat other organizations anyway, I don't think any of them would target us."

"But who else could have done it?" Feitan asked, leaning forward onto the table. "Whoever it was, they left almost no trace after vanishing and made a quick escape. You can't do that in this city unless you know the backroads like we do. They're in the business."

Chrollo frowned. He didn't want to admit it, but Feitan had a point. Where Hisoka was attacked, it'd be almost impossible to get out of there without getting caught by any traffic cameras unless they went through a few buildings and alleyways; an indirect way out but the only way to avoid being seen.

"Do you suggest we trace the killer's escape route?"

"Yes. We could find more evidence."

"Have we found anything on Hisoka's body?"

"No… nothing at all," Feitan growled. "It's strange. We know for sure that Hisoka is dead, but we can't even find the bastard's body."

Chrollo paused thoughtfully then asked "So it's possible he could've been cut up and transported elsewhere?"

"Just like fresh meat from the market," agreed Feitan.

Chrollo frowned at the comparison. It implied that their killer was a cannibal. And he _really_ hoped they weren't dealing with anything like a cannibal killer who cooked up their victims.

"I think it'll be best if we could find out how he was killed before we start jumping to those kinds of conclusions," Chrollo said, raising a hand before Feitan could comment. "And yes, I know I jumped to the conclusion myself, but I can't think of any other way his body could've been moved without a trail of blood leading from his place of death."

Feitan sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. He looked tired, his hair a bit frazzled and the bags under his eyes even more accentuated with darkening circles. He gave Chrollo an exasperated look before yawning.

"Alright, let's get this over with before I crash for the day."

Chrollo nodded in consent with the plan, using one hand to push his hair back from his face and the other to shut off his laptop before grabbing his car keys and beckoning Feitan to follow him.

When, a half hour later, the two of them arrived to the place Hisoka had been killed, the air around the alleyway oddly quiet for the early morning, as if still remembering what had happened there. They exited Chrollo's car, the slamming of the car doors and their steps down the alley the only sounds that reverberated in the enclosed area. Not even the crows surrounding the passageway croaked at them or fluttered their wings in an ominous fashion. They simply stared at them as they made their way to where a stained brown spot marked where Hisoka's blood had pooled onto the ground. Feitan kicked at some dead leaves around it, the leaves crunching and scratching at the pavement as he did.

"Disgusting. How could _anyone_ even _think—"_

"Enough Feitan," Chrollo placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Trace first."

Feitan gave a distasteful glare at the ground, looking as if he'd rather continue cursing at the blood stain, but he relented, turning from it and dislodging a hook from his belt.

"Right."

He swung the hook up into a nearby window that was already partly open. The metal made a satisfying ring when Feitan tugged on the wire to test if it was secured to the ledge or not, the prongs of the hook settling into place as he did. After a few more tugs and a thumbs up, Chrollo made his way up first and then waited for Feitan to follow.

The room they entered was mostly empty except for a metal folding chair, a floral wallpaper roll leaning in the corner, a bucket of glue, and a few picture frames leaning against the bare wall. When they jumped in through the window, dust puffed up from where they landed and slowly drifting into the air. Feitan wrinkled his nose and made an off-handed comment that it smelt like an old lady's house.

"Really Feitan?"

"What? I'm just saying. I wouldn't be surprised if you found some doilies and hard candy somewhere is all."

Chrollo rolled his eyes and walked out to investigate the rest of the apartment as Feitan began investigating the room. It seemed to have been abandoned mid way through someone living there. There was a mismatched socks left in the middle of the hall and a frame on the wall was empty and hanging crooked. He continued out to the living room area, where there was still an old, scratched up couch that creaked when Chrollo touched the top of it, a pretty clear sign that it was about to fall apart anytime now. In front of the couch was a low coffee table that was broken in half, yet still somehow awkwardly standing, the book that had decorated its surface having slid to the middle until it sat unevenly in the divot of the wood top. Dust had settled over the surface of the table and book, yet Chrollo barely made out the words "In a Bamboo Grove" on the front cover. He turned away to continue his inspection.

There was a door next to the room Feitan was in that led to a bathroom that was just as dusty as the living room, but still had the appearance of being somewhat cleaned before its previous owners had evacuated. Chrollo found nothing else of interest there and closed the door behind him after giving a few more glances around.

The last place he looked at was the kitchen area. It was the only place that showed signs of disturbances within the past few days. The wooden dining table didn't have a layer of dust over it but instead seemed freshly wiped down, and there was only one chair out of three that was neatly tucked in underneath the table. Moving forward towards the kitchen, the countertops had a similar appearance. Wiped down and free of debris. It smelled strongly of some cuisine Chrollo couldn't place. He didn't linger long on the thought; he had to focus on doing a more thorough search in here.

Chrollo opened cabinet after cabinet in search of anything that'd be of use for finding Hisoka's killer, but it was all in vain. The cabinets were full of dust and had nothing in them except for a few abandoned spices that hadn't even been touched by whoever had been there previously. He inspected the stove, seeing it was immaculately clean and searched for any cleaning supplies but again turned up empty. He started going through the drawers when he finally found something: knives. And freshly polished ones, at that.

He heard Feitan exit from his room but Chrollo didn't look up, instead inspecting the knives, all of which were different types of kitchen knives that had been cleaned just recently. He got a shiver up his spine just looking at them. He _really_ didn't hope they were dealing with a cannibal. He had never encountered one before, and never wanted to either.

"What did you do to that poor table Chrollo?" Feitan joked, flicking his head back to the living room. "What did it ever do to you?"

"Waste my time," Chrollo said with little emotion, too distracted by the knives. He put them back in their drawer and closed it. "Someone's been here recently to use this kitchen area. Should we observe it and wait for them to come back or continue on?"

"I think we should keep moving," Feitan said, leaning against a wall with peeling wallpaper on it. "People use these houses all the time when they're abandoned for things like this."

"We can't ignore the evidence of this though."

"I'm not ignoring it, but I'm not focusing all my efforts on it either. If it's all we got then that's fine, but we gotta keep moving on or else we'll have nothing else."

Chrollo nodded.

"You're right. We'll come back later."

"Of course I'm right. Anyway, we should interview some of the neighbors to see if they witnessed the murder or saw anyone passing through," Feitan said, pushing himself off the wall and towards the front door. "Someone is bound to have at least seen something."

Chrollo didn't make a comment, but gave one last glance at the broken coffee table. He tried to recall if he had ever read the book on said table, but shrugged to himself. He'd look it up later.


	16. Meeting

It'd been much longer than two days since Kurapika had seen a clock ticking down above his hand, urging him to go on a seemingly pointless quest to go and punch someone. In fact, it had been exactly two weeks and four days, (not that he was counting,) and it was, in all honesty, disheartening to see the change, and he was more anxious than anything else about its implications. To most people, this would be fantastic news, but to Kurapika it only reminded him that it'd been over two weeks since he'd last seen Chrollo after telling him those awful things to his face. He cringed, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. He just hoped Chrollo wasn't going to be found dead in an alley like Hisoka.

Kurapika frowned at the thought. Normally he wouldn't have to worry about that either, someone else he knew dying so quickly after another acquaintance had, but if Chrollo was being serious about pursuing Hisoka's killer, then it was likely that something could go terribly wrong while he was doing so.

The sound of a chair skidding across the floor brought his attention towards his surroundings, finding that for being such a noisy café it was a wonder how he hadn't found the idle chatter of half a hundred people bothersome. Kurapika looked over across the table at the other booth to see Melody sitting there with a concerned look on her face, but smiling nonetheless. He didn't smile back.

"Hi Kurapika."

"Hello."

Melody's smile fell slightly, but it only caused Kurapika to frown.

"I'm glad you decided to meet me, even if you still don't want to talk about what happened," said Melody.

Kurapika wanted to shrug but suppressed the urge. Instead he focused on the cup of tea in front of him, untouched and still steaming. He clasped his hands together and licked at his chapped lips before talking again.

"About that," said Kurapika, watching Melody as she perked up hopefully. "Chrollo told me to avoid you guys."

Clearly not expecting this information, she gaped at him until she recovered by shaking her head.

"That bastard—"

"Whoa Melody," Kurapika raised his hands as if to try and calm her. "No need for the strong language. He said it was for my protection or something like that."

"He did _not_ say that." Melody countered, anger still palpable. "He _never_ explains that; you concluded it yourself. What he fails to recognize is that you'd be safer _with_ us."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. With our guard raised and the rest of the manager organizations also on the lookout, it'd be hard for the killer to strike out against any of us without a big alert signalling all of us to their moves," Melody said confidently. "Chrollo is used to doing things on his own and his way. _That_ much hasn't changed about him."

Kurapika wanted to defend Chrollo but kept his mouth shut, because it was very much true on Chrollo's nature.

"That would explain a lot," Kurapika choose to say, and Melody raised an eyebrow at him exasperatedly.

"What else did he do?"

"He told me that if I were to get involved he'd make me stay out of the way until everything was over."

 _"That bastard—"_

 _"Melody!"_

"Sorry, I just," she slammed the table with her fists, attracting a few stares that went away just as quickly as they came. "He is making me _so_ mad right now!"

"Now it's my turn to ask this– what else did he do?"

"He's dropped all communication with us! All except for Feitan, of course. But Feitan won't even tell us what they're doing, even if it _is_ quite obvious."

"They've already started an investigation?"

"Yeah…"

Kurapika frowned.

"So… what now?"

"I don't know. I would say try and track them and follow up on whatever they're doing but that could get… dangerous," Melody supplied, shifting in her seat a little before taking a sip of her own cup of tea. "I think the best thing we can do right now is lay low. If any of us find some information I'll let you know as soon as possible, alright?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Kurapika sighed, closing his eyes as he did. He pushed a hand through his hair before sighing again and looking up at Melody, who looked just as tired as he felt. "Hey, Melody?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think… that Chrollo hates me now?"

"What?! No! Why would he? You haven't done anything wrong!" Melody assured, reaching over as far as she could to place a hand on Kurapika's. Kurapika didn't look up, but could feel the pressure behind his eyes that threatened the imminence of tears.

"But I _did_ Melody! I hurt him, and now I just– what if– what if he never wants to see me again?"

"You don't have to worry about that," Melody said, patting his hand comfortingly. "If you want I can find out for you. And I can guarantee that he'll want to see you again."

"You can?" asked Kurapika, finally looking up despite being aware that the motion allowed tears to fall from his eyes.

"Absolutely. By the time I'm done with him he'll be _begging_ to see you again."

Kurapika started laughing, feeling ridiculous for his swing in emotions. "Oh come _on_ Melody! Don't threaten him!"

"I'm prepared to if I have to," said Melody proudly, smiling at Kurapika. "Just let me handle it okay?"

 _"Alright,_ I _will._ But you have to promise not to do anything too drastic. I don't want to lose more people than we already have."

Melody gave a nod, still smiling in good humor.

"Of course, I promise."

"Good," Kurapika said, wiping tears away from his eyes and face. "Also, I've been meaning to ask; you said you were inviting someone else to go shopping with us, but who?"

"Me."

Kurapika startled and looked up to see Machi, whom he realized he'd never seen in anything but dim lighting. He also realized that her hair was pink despite having thought it was purple when he first met her.

"Machi's been having a tough time herself, so I decided to let her join in on our coping trip," Melody provided as Machi silently sat next to Kurapika.

"I'm sorry," Kurapika said to Machi, and she shrugged nonchalantly, as if none of what was going on was even worth her time.

"It's no big deal. Life is rough sometimes."

Melody smiled sympathetically at her before turning back to Kurapika.

"Plus there is always no harm to have a bigger support system, as I've already told Machi. Relying on only one person could get… well, tiresome," she said with a smile, and Machi huffed at that.

"No need to be vague just to say I tire you out with my bullshit," Machi said, drumming her fingers on the table. "Just say it up front."

"No, I wasn't saying that at all!" Melody squeaked, putting up her hands a little in a calming gesture. "I just can't deal with everything right now, emotionally or mentally. Especially after what happened to Hisoka…"

Machi's fingers stopped drumming on the table and curled up into a fist, but her face remained as impassive as ever. Kurapika wasn't sure if he should feel intimidated by her actions or worried by them.

"That dumbass is probably giddy in death knowing he went down in a fight. I feel no remorse."

"Machi please," Melody said pleadingly, glancing at Kurapika for help. He sighed.

"It's too soon for words like that," Kurapika spoke to Machi, and only her eyes moved to glare at him. It didn't stand up to Chrollo's glare at all, in fact, it felt soft compared to the dark haired man's chilling gaze. Kurapika felt almost proud that he continued speaking undeterred by her attempt to throw him off. "Listen, we're all dealing with our own bullshit, because as you said, life is hard. But Melody planned this for us, so the least we can do is just go along with it."

Machi held her stare only a few seconds longer before she closed her eyes, sighing.

"Whatever you say blondie. Now, if you're finished with your drinks, let's get out of here and go shop for hours on end as if we haven't a care in the world."

"And try not to spend too much money doing so," Melody giggled in addition, especially when Kurapika gave her a look. "What? I can't save money now?"

"You and I both know you two have more than enough money to buy out the entire mall."

"Maybe so, but I think we can restrain ourselves," said Melody with a smile. Kurapika smiled back, and for the first time in a while, he felt like everything was going to be alright.


	17. Coffee Shop

It was at least a month after their fight did Chrollo see Kurapika again, and when they did meet it, was pure coincidence.

Chrollo had only gone out for a coffee run since he and Feitan had long since ran out of their own coffee to use, but now he was confronted with all of the feelings and problems he'd been pushing away since Kurapika left. Well, he didn't have to confront them, not really, but it was kind of hard to do so when he had already made eye contact with the blonde.

They stared at each other for what felt like long, awkward minutes, but was actually barely five seconds.

"Oh… hi…"

Kurapika was the first to utter anything. It took a few seconds before Chrollo could respond, feeling as if he were in some sort of dream.

"Hey, uh, lovely weather we're having, huh?" Chrollo said, then winced immediately afterwards when a large crack of thunder was heard from outside. They were, in fact, not having lovely weather. It was honestly quite the opposite. There was a huge storm outside, and a bad one at that. He suddenly became overly conscious of how loud the rain pelting the roof of the dimly lit shop was and almost didn't register when Kurapika responded back.

"Yup... just… just lovely," Kurapika said back hesitantly, eyes averted to the overpriced items on the shelf next to them, and Chrollo wasn't sure if it was because he was hesitating over whether or not to agree with him, or if it was because he too thought that this was the most awkward conversation he had ever held with another human being.

"How are things going? It's been a while since we've last talked," Chrollo prompted, and he got a strange look from the blonde that turned sour quickly.

"Because you cut off all communications with everyone?"

Chrollo gaped at him and recovered slowly from the verbal blow for some reason. Did he completely forget how to socialize with everyone but his brother? He shook his head.

"Kurapika, I just," Chrollo sighed. "I just want to know how you're doing." He said this as sincerely as he could, but he was given a skeptical gaze in return.

"Do you really care or you just saying it to save face?" Kurapika questioned after a pause, attitude still as strong as the last time he had encountered it. Chrollo tried not to remember how heartbroken he was after their last conversation that had spiraled out of control when they were both as stubborn as Kurapika was now.

Chrollo inhaled slowly and sighed again, closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't know how to get through to him at this point, especially now that any semblance of their burgeoning relationship was in tatters. When he opened his eyes again after a long moment, he caught a glimpse of Kurapika looking at him worriedly, but it went away as soon as they made eye contact again.

"Well?" Kurapika asked impatiently, crossing his arms as he did. Chrollo took a glimpse at the blonde's hands when he went to cross them and saw no timer ticking down, which surprised him greatly. If there was no grudge, then that meant...

"You don't hate me?" Chrollo heard himself ask in awe, and he wanted to kick himself just for asking, but was happy to see Kurapika's scowl go away to be replaced by an innocently surprised face.

"No, why-? I would never- _could_ ever-"

The bell to the shop jingled and it prompted Kurapika to stop mid-sentence, eyes still wide and mouth open as if ready to say the next word when signalled. Chrollo could feel he looked the same way, eyes big and mouth hanging as if struck stupid. When they heard the shop door jingle close they both composed themselves again, Chrollo unsure of what happened but relieved by the news Kurapika had given him.

 _He doesn't hate me._

Chrollo felt like grinning madly but managed to contain his excitement, though he couldn't keep the glint from entering his eyes. There was another boom of thunder, but this time it sounded much farther off. The rain on the roof was no longer as harsh as it had been moments earlier.

"I've missed you," was all Chrollo allowed himself to say, becoming suddenly aware that they were in the middle of a coffee shop with people walking everywhere between the aisles, and that if he said anything more it could become overly sappy really fast, and he wasn't sure he was ready to handle the public embarrassment that came with that.

"So have I," Kurapika said back, smiling up at him, and Chrollo felt himself smile back. Time seemed to stand still in that moment, and Chrollo felt as if they were drifting by every passing moment in a light, foggy haze. They were still smiling at each other like idiots when someone bumped into Kurapika's shoulder, jolting them out of their alternate reality.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean–" the voice stopped abruptly, and Chrollo looked over to see a dark, brown haired man with faded brown eyes gawking at Kurapika, blinking a few times before blurting out "Kurapika?!"

Kurapika turned his attention to the stranger completely at that point, his face shifting through so many expressions in so few seconds that Chrollo couldn't pinpoint any of them before Kurapika was hugging the other man with enthusiasm.

"Pairo, you finally made it back! I thought you'd never have time off from your job to do it!"

"Hahaha yeah! I got a lucky break! And I was just about to head over to your house too! What a coincidence!"

Chrollo stood there awkwardly, wondering if he should just slip away while he and Kurapika were on good terms, but the one named Pairo turned to him with curious eyes.

"So who is this Kurapika? A friend?"

Chrollo kept back a flinch at the word 'friend.' They might have been, at one point. But now? That was definitely not the word.

"Something like that," Kurapika avoided, giving a passive smile. "It's kind of complicated, really."

"Wait, is this the one that you said had bad jokes and no filter?" Pairo questioned, face blank until a smile spread across his face in a mocking way. "Attractive."

"Pairo!"

"What? It's what you said! Oh! And he made you have so many grudges, or at least that's my understanding of what this is," Pairo said, motioning to between them. "Guess that's not friend material though."

"Now you're the one without the filter," Chrollo said with a smile of his own, and Kurapika gave him a sharp look but he ignored it. He wasn't wrong.

Pairo turned and smiled at him, and something about it felt _off._ Chrollo couldn't figure out what it was… maybe it had something to do with his demeanor? Maybe it was his smile? Maybe it was the way he stood? He couldn't tell, but this innocent looking man was definitely giving off a weird aura, and he didn't like it.

"Aggressive too huh? You better not be that way to Kurapika. I'll kick your—"

"That's enough," Kurapika interjected, whacking Pairo in the back of the head and stopping him before he could finished his threat. Pairo smiled awkwardly back at Kurapika and was given a disapproving look before he rounded on Chrollo, poking his chest with a stern finger. "And you; you're on thin ice too."

Chrollo raised his hands in submission. He didn't want to fight, not really. But Pairo's words had stung, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"Now let me _formally_ introduce you two, since it seems you two can't be decent human beings for even a few seconds," Kurapika said with a huff, giving another disappointed look at Pairo, who stuck his tongue out at him. "Chrollo, this is Pairo, my childhood friend. And Pairo, this is Chrollo, my… uh…"

"Nice to meet you Chrollo," Pairo said as Kurapika searched for the right words, offering a hand to him. Chrollo shook it, and was surprised to find Pairo's grip to be strong. "Sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean to offend you if I did. I really _do_ have no filter sometimes!"

"Don't worry about it," Chrollo assured. "And fret not, I've no intention of ever harming your friend, even if you _didn't_ do a poor job at threatening me."

Pairo laughed at that, releasing Chrollo's hand from the shake and elbowing Kurapika.

"Where'd you find this guy? He's great!"

"At a club," Kurapika said with a shrug, before adding, "drunk."

"Amazing. I'm in love already," Pairo said, pretending to swoon. Kurapika smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Can't say that's how I felt when I first met him."

"Or how he felt afterwards when I insulted his family," Chrollo added on, and Pairo gaped at him.

"You did _what?_ Kurapika, you didn't mention that!"

"He's done a lot Pairo, I can't remember everything he's said!" Kurapika defended, but Pairo was shaking his head in fake offense.

"Can't believe you forgot your first grudge against him. How sad. Just absolutely _terrible."_

"Oh please, don't be so dramatic." Kurapika nudged his friend, and the brunette grinned at him.

"Yeah yeah, alright. Just glad you have another friend. When I left I was worried for you."

"Well," the blonde began, and his face became red as he let the pause linger. "I don't know about friend…"

"No need to be shy Kurapika, everyone gets more friends as they age, it's nothing to be ashamed about!" Pairo said, and Chrollo didn't have the courage to even try and clear up the misunderstanding. That was, until Pairo gave Kurapika a sly smile. "Unless you're leaving something out… like maybe having s—"

"Pairo!" Kurapika gasped, then immediately went to try and strangle the brunette.

"Oh my," was all Chrollo got out as Pairo easily untangled himself from Kurapika's stronghold, which made the blonde give a few stunned blinks at his childhood friend. A silence settled between all three of them, and it persisted until after a customer near them grabbed a box of coffee beans and promptly left the aisle.

"You've… gotten stronger," Kurapika stated dumbfounded, looking… betrayed? Chrollo shook his head. He must be imagining it.

"Oh, yeah, that!" Pairo laughed, oblivious to Kurapika's shift in mood. "When I first got my job they made me go through grunt work before I could get to the position I have now."

"You're a chef, not a wrestler," Kurapika said, lightly punching his friend's shoulder. The look on his face didn't go away, but instead seemed masked by false happiness. Chrollo resolved to ask him later if he got the chance. Pairo tsked at Kurapika in a playful manner, resting his arm on the blonde's shoulder as he explained.

"I'm actually a sous chef right now, which means I only really ever _prepare_ food more than I cook it, but within a month or two I should be able to make it to being an actual chef!"

Pairo said this excitedly, puffing out his chest as he did, but before Chrollo could think to congratulate him, his thoughts involuntarily swung back to images of the abnormally clean kitchen he had found near Hisoka's death site and his paranoia of a cannibalistic killer. He felt sick to his stomach and he struggled to keep his face neutral. Maybe he really did need a break from work if even the mentions of a chef made him think of an ongoing _murder investigation._

Before Chrollo could comment though, Pairo's phone went off with an alarm, and he looked panicked when he saw it.

"I forgot about my laundry! I gotta go, but it was nice seeing you Kurapika!" Pairo said, backing out of the aisle as he grabbed a random container from the shelf as if finally remembering what he'd gone to the shop for. "Oh, and nice meeting you Rolo!"

"It's Chrollo."

"I knew that!"

And like that he was gone, leaving Chrollo and Kurapika to fill the silence that Pairo had left them with. It didn't take long for Kurapika to speak up.

"I guess I better get going if Pairo really is visiting. My parents are gonna be _thrilled_ when they hear the news."

"Actually, I was wondering–" Chrollo felt his breath go away when Kurapika turned to look at him quizzically, and it took all his energy to take another breath and continue his thought. "I was wondering if you wanted to stay the night. At my place."

Kurapika's face instantly turned a bright red, and Chrollo could feel the heat reach his face too as soon as he processed what he had just said, realizing too late how it probably sounded to Kurapika. Chrollo began stuttering out words to defend himself, arms waving as if to clear the implications away."

"No, I'm sorry, not– not like that, just– just to hang out. Promise. Like a sleepover party! Just, less party and more sleeping. But not _that_ kind of sleeping! Only tired sleeping! Nothing else!"

Kurapika was laughing at him now, face still flushed but thankfully smiling and, at least, a little bit humored as well.

"I get it! You don't have to explain–haha–seriously you're fine Chrollo!" Kurapika said, still laughing as he tried to get out his response. "I'll think about it, I probably will if I'm being honest—"

"You will?" Chrollo blurted out, the surprise evident in his voice. "But didn't Pairo just say—"

"Yeah," Kurapika's smile faded a bit. "But I don't… well…"

"You don't have to explain yourself Kurapika," Chrollo amended, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Come over if you want and we can have Chinese take-out. Feitan might be there, but I can get him leave if you want…I hope."

Kurapika put his own hand over Chrollo's and smiled again, and Chrollo momentarily forgot how to breathe.

"It'd be nice to hang out again, thank you."

"N-no problem," was all Chrollo got out as Kurapika gave him a pat on his hand to get him to let go. He did so, feeling dazed.

"I'll meet you later after I drop off some stuff at my house then. Sound good?"

"Yeah, sounds great."

"Great."

Kurapika gave him another dazzling smile before turning and walking out of the aisle, leaving Chrollo there in a daze and trying to remember his initial purpose for being in the shop. When he finally recalled Feitan ordering him to get coffee for them, he almost ran into with a small old woman, who was squinting up at him with a smile.

"Ah, young love... how nice."

Chrollo felt himself blush but didn't bother to correct the old woman, instead just giving her a nod and a bid to have a good day as he hastily walked away in order to get the coffee he no longer needed.


	18. Food

That night, Kurapika was determined to make sure that he could go visit Chrollo, especially since Chrollo had been avoiding him for such a long time already, and he was just glad he could finally spend time with the other man again.

But before he could go, he had to give a good enough excuse to his parents as for why he wasn't going to be home when Pairo was visiting.

"I have a previous engagement I have to go to," he lied, and Eidos raised an eyebrow at him.

"That you didn't tell your mother and I?"

"I forgot about it."

"..."

"What? I ran into someone who reminded me is all. It's not _that_ complicated," Kurapika said, but it was another lie. _Especially the last part._

"Well, if you say so," Eidos relented, breathing out a sigh. "You're gonna miss one hell of a dinner though."

"I know, wish I could be here for it," Kurapika assured, turning to go get some stuff from his room. "And Mom is even home. It's a rare day huh?"

"Certainly is. Would've been rarer if you hadn't been busy too."

"Touché."

"Alright, well I'll see you later kiddo. I'll save you some dinner too before we eat it all," Eidos said, waving nonchalantly back at his son as he walked away. "And don't worry, I'll tell them work is calling you in."

"But that's not—"

"It's not," Edios shrugged, "but it's more convincing than what you told me," he said winking. Kurapika couldn't help but smile at that. "You just owe me a movie marathon is all, so don't sweat it."

"Alright Dad, whatever you say."

Kurapika turned and made his way up the stairs and to his room, gathering a bit of clothes and his phone charger and stuffing them into a bookbag before heading out. Without trying to sound too rushed, Kurapika half-ran down his stairs as he shouted to his dad across the house.

"I'm taking the car!"

"Alright, be safe!" he heard Eidos shout back, followed by confused and questioning voices of Pairo and Anahita. Kurapika was glad he was able to get out of the house without encountering his mom and childhood friend, but he still rushed to the car and left quickly before anyone could actually physically try and stop him. He knew his mom would if she knew the truth. And Pairo...

Well, he didn't know. Not anymore, at least. Since having met him in the coffee shop he felt like he didn't know this new Pairo. This one was stronger, more mature, more… aggressive… it was disconcerting. It seemed like it was only yesterday when he had to protect Pairo during preschool and got into literal fistfights with other kids to keep him safe, and now it felt like he wasn't even needed.

Kurapika sighed, wondering if it was too naive and selfish to wish for the old Pairo back. _At least he didn't pick fights with guys I was interested in when we were younger._ Kurapika hit the brakes too hard when he had that thought, just happy that he was conveniently at a red light.

He exhaled a breath of air, unclenching his hands from around the steering wheel. It was getting a lot harder to deny his attraction to Chrollo recently. He thought of him constantly, even if it wasn't always positive. But for the most part? His mind kept returning to when they had made out in the kitchen, where everything felt so open, so _free_ and _good_.

He felt himself blush from remembering, and was embarrassed all over again when he felt his heart rate increase and felt a phantom ghost of pressure on his lips.

Kurapika hit a speed bump, which physically jostled him out of his thoughts and brought him back to reality, where he was pulling into Chrollo's apartment complex. He debated texting he was on his way and waiting outside just to give himself more time to prepare, but he shook his head. _Don't be a coward now._

He got out of his car and took the steps up to Chrollo's door slowly, hoping to catch his breath before he got there, but if anything, the steps made him more out of breath. When he went to open the door, Kurapika felt the lock prevent him from doing so, again reminding him of the new safety policy that he was already beginning to abhor. He was about to knock when he heard the door unlock and saw Feitan's face glare up at him through the crack.

"You got here awfully quick," Feitan accused, and Kurapika felt heat rush to his face again.

"Just let me in."

"Why the rush? Are you _that_ horny?"

"Feitan!" It was Chrollo's voice in the background now. "That was unnecessary!"

Feitan's face turned away, and Kurapika was glad for it, using that moment to compose himself and try to force the blush on his face down. _Why did he have to say that?_

"Relax, it was just a joke." Feitan said casually, and Chrollo sounded less than impressed.

"It can't be a joke if it's not funny."

"I thought it was funny; his reactions are priceless."

"Fei—"

"Okaaaayyy, okay! _I get it!_ The door is open now, happy?" Feitan asked, swinging the door open angrily and dramatically bowing at Kurapika as he walked in. The blonde tried not to feel awkward about it when he did.

"You didn't have this much trouble opening the door for the delivery guys. I wonder what's gotten into you," Chrollo mused, ignoring Feitan's theatrics, and Kurapika saw Feitan flick his brother off in his peripheral vision.

"Delivery guys?" Kurapika questioned, but he didn't have to wonder long when he saw five plastic bags on the dinner table overflowing with take-out food.

"Yeah, I didn't know what you wanted so I picked out a wide variety of things in hopes that you'd at least like something," Chrollo said, obviously not hiding his excitement well at the prospect of it.

"The Chinese restaurant thought I was pranking them when I ordered this much food," Feitan accused, and Chrollo shrugged as if it didn't matter. Kurapika suppressed a smile.

"While it was sweet of you to do that–"

"Ew."

"–you could've just texted me to ask what I wanted," Kurapika said, briefly glancing at Feitan when he made his noise of disgust, but ignored it in favor of looking back at Chrollo, who was just staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.

"Why didn't I think of that?" he questioned to himself, still looking at the ceiling, and Kurapika had to laugh at least a little when Feitan kicked the leg of the chair Chrollo was sitting on, almost making Chrollo topple over.

"Because you left your brain at the coffee shop apparently! You've been acting awfully weird since you got back. I'd like to have my brother back now, please and thank you."

"You can have him back after tonight," Kurapika said unthinkingly, earning him the stares of the two men in front of him and a wave of heat to his face. "Not like that, it won't last that long, just—"

"Oh please lover-boy, you think I'm oblivious to this thing you've got going on?" Feitan asked, gesturing between Chrollo and Kurapika. Kurapika gaped at him.

"Lover-boy?" Kurapika asked incredulously, not sure if he heard him right. Feitan didn't even bother to acknowledge him when Chrollo seemed to finally process what he had said.

"A _thing?"_ Chrollo echoed aghast, sitting up straighter in his chair. Feitan turned to him, pleased with the reaction. "Feitan there is no—"

"Don't lie to me brother. I know you better than you know yourself," he tsked at him, smiling evilly. "Though I must admit, I didn't know of your interest in blondes until recently…"

"I do not!" Chrollo said defensively, but Feitan was already moving on from the insult.

"But I _suppose_ I should make myself scarce lest I want to be between _you two_ giving bedroom eyes at each other."

"I would _never,"_ Kurapika said quickly, but hesitated when he remembered the one time in the kitchen again. He shook his head. That moment was gonna haunt him for the rest of his life wasn't it?

Feitan shrugged.

"Well I guess it doesn't matter what you would or wouldn't do in the end, because I have places to be, business to attend to. You know, like a normal, _functioning_ member of society?"

"Wait, you're leaving?" Chrollo asked, confused now. Kurapika also looked over at Feitan questioningly. He didn't have to leave, they weren't gonna do anything but eat and relax… right?

"Yeah, gonna go do surveillance on that kitchen we found. Hopefully something interesting actually happens; I'm _tired_ of watching dust settle on the countertops."

"Wait, kitchen?" Kurapika said to Feitan, but when he was met with a steely gaze he switched over to Chrollo. "What kitchen?"

"The one we found while—"

"Hey Chrollo? Mm-mm." Feitan shook his head as he made his disapproving humming noise. "That's confidential stuff, remember? We don't tell people about that." It was said disapprovingly, making Chrollo pause, but it was only for a brief second because he turned back to Kurapika hurriedly and spoke before Feitan could react.

"It's under suspicion of having a link to Hisoka's killer."

"What the _fuck_ did I just say?"

"I wish I didn't have to, but I can't lie to him. Not after…" Chrollo looked at his hands, ignoring Feitan's glare. "Not after all I've kept from him."

Kurapika shuffled uneasily as Feitan judged Chrollo from his spot next to the front door. He wondered, briefly, if he could ask to accompany Feitan, wanting to somehow contribute to the cause, but kept his mouth closed.

"Fine," Feitan finally relented, but he didn't look pleased. "You two stay here and hash out your mushy-gushy feelings and I'll go have a stake out at an abandoned kitchen in a dirty apartment building."

"I'm sorry—" Kurapika started but Feitan held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm not the one you need to say that to. Now goodnight, I'll see you both tomorrow morning."

With that said, Feitan turned and went out the door, locking it behind him as they both listened to his feet go down the stairs. The weird silence between them only lasted four seconds.

"So," Chrollo started, picking up a random container from the table. "You hungry?"


	19. Apologies

_It's peaceful,_ Chrollo thought to himself, adjusting his hold on his chopsticks. _Hopefully it lasts._ Though he doubted it would. The day had been going _far_ too well, and it was almost suspicious how great of a day it had been so far. He had somehow made peace with Kurapika and now he was having dinner with him? Obviously the work of something sinister.

He slurped on some beef lo mein, wondering if it'd be too weird to ask Kurapika if he still wanted to help find Hisoka's killer. Of course, not by staying on the sideline this time. He was sure Kurapika had something he could offer to the mission; everyone always did.

He didn't get to finish his thoughts or his lo mein before Kurapika spoke.

"When Feitan left, he said I didn't need to apologize to him but someone else. He meant you, right?"

Chrollo sighed. "I may or may not have exaggerated how much you, uh, hurt me the day we fought." He scratched at the back of his head awkwardly as he remembered being depressed all day until Feitan had showed up. "Might've also given the impression that I was nothing short of devastated."

Kurapika also sighed as he nodded in acceptance of what Chrollo had said.

"Yeah, that makes sense. I have to say, you being dramatic doesn't come as a surprise."

"I'm not _that_ dramatic—"

Kurapika gave him a pointed look, and Chrollo could almost physically feel the unloading of evidence being dropped onto the metaphorical table.

"Touché," Chrollo finally admitted as he shifted in his chair, giving Kurapika a fond look when the blonde looked away. When Kurapika turned back towards him, he faked a cough to clear his throat. "Back to the point though, you don't have to apologize. You only retaliated because of me, so I should be the one—"

"That still doesn't excuse my actions and you know it," Kurapika said, pointing at him with his chopsticks. When Chrollo couldn't give a better answer than shrugging, Kurapika laughed to himself. "Besides, what did you even say? That I broke your heart or something?"

Chrollo opened his mouth but nothing came out, not immediately at least. Kurapika was joking, of course, but he wasn't sure if he should confirm or deny it just in case it made things awkward… like last time…

"Wait… did you actually say that?" Kurapika asked, when Chrollo had stayed quiet for too long. Chrollo shook his head, mostly to clear out his thoughts.

"Something like that," Chrollo allowed, "but before you say anything else, I want to say that I'm sorry first. For everything. For dragging you into this mess, for bothering you the night we first met, and for that one time... that night we…"

Chrollo paused as he remembered the rush of adrenaline he got when Kurapika basically gave him permission to lift him on top of the counter to… to… Chrollo felt his face heat up at the memory. The phantom sensations of Kurapika's hands groping at his body and his lips magnetized to his mouth wracked his senses and left him breathless, and he had to force it all down. It was so hard to ignore how dizzy he felt from it, but he pushed through it and tried to hide it as best as he could. He needed to finish what he started, even if that meant speaking normally while re-experiencing their impromptu make-out session.

 _"That_ night. You know the one. The one with lots of regrets. Or not. I don't know what it was, just—" Chrollo turned exasperatedly and then pointed to his kitchen. "There."

Kurapika gave him a confused look for only one second before it seemed to click, and then the blonde's face was instantly as bright as a tomato and the rest of his body went rigid.

"There," Kurapika agreed, confirming that he knew what Chrollo was talking about. Chrollo tried not to think too much about what that reaction meant.

"Anyway, sorry for that as well. And for my outburst, and my change in attitude, and how I _ignored_ you, which probably didn't help us solve this anytime sooner, but I digress—"

"Chrollo."

His name was spoken so softly Chrollo almost didn't hear him, but he did. It made him stop talking immediately, only to be mildly surprised at himself with his own reaction. _Does this always happen when someone says my name?_

"It's okay," Kurapika said softly again, putting a hand on top of his. "I forgive you."

Chrollo let out a sigh that seemed to ease all of the tension in his body, which he hadn't notice he had until that moment. Like stretching in the morning right after waking up. It just felt _good._

Kurapika smiled at him, squeezing his hand as he did. He was, in Chrollo's eyes, radiant in that moment. If anyone were to ask him what he thought peace looked like, it would be this exact moment of Kurapika smiling at him warmly. Chrollo let an easy smile make its way to his face, and he felt content for the first time in days.

Chrollo wanted that moment to last forever, but Kurapika moved his hand away shortly after, though he was still sitting next to him and smiling, so Chrollo felt that he shouldn't complain.

"I know you said I didn't have to, but I still want to apologize as well. What I said was… putting it lightly… harsh and uncalled for. I'm sorry I said those things to you and I didn't mean a word of it. Well, except for when I said Melody was right," Kurapika shrugged and gave Chrollo an apologetic look. "Because she was."

"I forgive you too but, what _exactly_ was she right about?" Chrollo asked in good humor, an eyebrow raised in curiosity as Kurapika stifled a laugh. "She never did tell me."

"She said, and I quote 'he is impulsive and pushy to get his way,' end quote."

"When did she ever say that?"

"When I first met her. At the bar. You were _there,"_ Kurapika pointed out, and even though Chrollo couldn't remember her saying that during their time there, he nodded just the same.

"Ah, you're right, she did say that—"

"She also said someone had predicted you'd come back. You know, as a manager," Kurapika continued out loud with his own thoughts. Chrollo was beginning to wonder how much of the conversation he had forgotten until Kurapika spoke again. "It was some other manager… Pakunoda was her name, I believe."

Chrollo froze. He could suddenly remember the conversation at the bar with surprising clarity…

 _..._

 _"I've changed quite a bit since I've left Melody; you can't assume I'm still the same!" Chrollo defended, but Melody didn't look convinced._

 _"I would bet half of my earnings that if you ever came back to this job you would go back to being your same old self," she said seriously, and Chrollo frowned._

 _"If I'm to be honest, I don't think I'd want that. I took quite a while to recover from the issues I had after leaving here."_

 _"I'm sure, but you know what they say: old habits die hard." She paused to slide off her chair before she continued talking. "And don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be mean to you, but it's what Pakunoda said would happen."_

 _"Who's Pakunoda?" Kurapika asked her, but Chrollo answered instead._

 _"She's another substitute manager here. She has great insight on many things, and most of what she predicts is true."_

 _"So she's a fortune teller?"_

 _"Close, but not quite." Chrollo sighed, leaning his head into his hand. "She's just really good at figuring out what you'll do based off of your personality and past."_

 _"Oh, how fun." Kurapika said unenthusiastically. Chrollo smirked at that. How fun indeed._

 _"Well since I'm here, I'll gladly let you know that I won't be coming back to this job if I can help it." Chrollo said, and Melody had given him a disbelieving look._

...

"I haven't."

Kurapika looked up in confusion. "What?"

"I haven't gone back, not… not officially… but yet…" _She was right._ Oh how Chrollo _hated_ it when he was wrong, _especially_ when she was right. But here he was, back at it again as a manager, slipping back into his old habits… It was exactly as she had said he would do.

He wanted to pull out now, walk away as he had before and ignore everything to do with the managers, but then he remembered Hisoka and he paused.

Hisoka had come into the business like Chrollo and Feitan had, in revenge of a fallen loved one. Specifically, it was their respective mothers that they had wanted to avenge. And while the magician pretended like he wasn't actually affected by any of it, Chrollo knew what he was going through. No one's first kill ever truly leaves them. No one ever forgets the reasons, the emotions, the physical exhaustion and mental exertion put into such a hastily made execution.

The Grudge Rule forced most to move quickly, and even if some had more time to plan than others, the _want_ to dish out revenge always exceeded the actual _need_ to act before the clock ran out. It always made things go faster.

But even though Hisoka reacted quickly, he never left the scene of the crime. Just waited for the police, calmly, patiently, and was put through trial. He, of course, won, having done his vengeance underneath his Grudge Limit, but it wasn't enough for him. How could it be? His mother's killers had it too easy. A simple and quick death in the wake of his mother's suffering.

Hisoka couldn't let go of that fact, so he became a manager, not only for his personal issues, but because eventually he _also_ didn't want other people to carry those regrets either.

Chrollo frowned. He couldn't let Hisoka's killer get away with what they'd done. Hisoka was like family, was like a protector to those who paid him. They shouldn't have taken him from the world so soon.

And they wouldn't take anyone else either, not as long as he had any say in it.


	20. Advance

When Chrollo got oddly silent and contemplative, Kurapika decided to leave him be for once, because as far as he knew, pushing for something to happen had mixed results with the older man. So he waited for Chrollo to finish up his existential crisis (and beef lo mein) before he scooted his chair over next to the taller man. When he didn't respond immediately, Kurapika reached over and grabbed one of his hands, startling Chrollo back to reality.

"Oh, hi," Chrollo shifted in his seat, looking a little lost. Kurapika smiled at him.

"Hey," he said, squeezing his hand a little bit. "You okay now?"

"Okay? Yeah I… I think so," Chrollo said, nodding as he said so, as if trying to convince himself. He hesitated, then squeezed Kurapika's hand back. "How long did I stay silent?"

Kurapika shrugged. "Ten minutes? Thirty? I don't know."

"I'm sorry, I–" started Chrollo, but Kurapika put a finger to his mouth before he could continue.

"It's fine, you don't need to apologize for that. You're going through a lot so I'm not expecting much. Just know I'm here for you for whatever you need."

"Whatever I need?" Chrollo questioned, then smiled. "Even a million dollars?"

"I'm pretty sure you don't need that," Kurapika said, elbowing him lightly. "You're already rich enough that I think you can survive without my donations. Besides, I meant maybe hug or something. You know, to comfort you."

"I… could use a hug, now that you mention it," Chrollo said, giving Kurapika a shy smile as he did. "Though I really don't feel like getting up to do it."

"That's fine," Kurapika said, an idea popping into his head. The idea was _definitely_ embarrassing, but if he could pull it off as nonchalant, hopefully it wouldn't come off as weird. Or make Chrollo question what he was doing. "I can work with that."

Kurapika let go of Chrollo's hand and placed it on his shoulder, got up from his own chair, and then straddled Chrollo. Kurapika did his best to keep a straight face when he finally settled onto Chrollo's lap, but he could feel that his face was burning and that his clothes _definitely_ felt tighter. He glanced up and saw that Chrollo was also quite red in the face. _Well, that made two of them in that department then._

"This isn't exactly how I envisioned this going," Chrollo murmured, as if he'd lost his breath. Kurapika quirked an eyebrow at him, trying to still pull this whole thing off as casual.

"What'd you think I was going to do? Hug you while standing next to your chair?"

Chrollo laughed, leaning forward and laying his forehead onto the blonde's shoulder. Kurapika's heart rate skyrocketed and he took in a quiet breath to try and stay level-headed, but found himself taking in the smell of Chrollo's shampoo and the fading scent of his cologne. It only served to make his reaction worse.

"No, I just didn't think you were the type to do this," Chrollo said, ignorant to Kurapika response, his arms wrapping around the blonde's waist and pulling him closer. Kurapika felt himself make a small squeak, but it was thankfully mostly air, making it too quiet for anyone but himself to hear. He sighed inwardly in relief. Oblivious, Chrollo remarked, "I can't say I'm not fond of it though."

"Why's that?" Kurapika asked, wrapping his arms around Chrollo's back while hoping to keep the other man talking. Both to enjoy the moment longer and to keep the other man from noticing how much of an effect he had on Kurapika. He just had to avoid getting any closer. _Easy enough._

"Because to say I disliked it would be a lie, and I already said I wouldn't lie to you anymore." Chrollo pulled away from the hug but left his hands resting on Kurapika's hips and gave him an inquiring look. "Is that okay with you?"

"Perfectly fine," said Kurapika smiling, leaning forward onto his elbows that rested on Chrollo's shoulders. His hands came back to prop up under his chin, his face becoming dangerously close to Chrollo's. He struggled to hold onto his mask of indifference while maintaining his smile. "And since we're being honest here, I have a confession."

"Oh? Do you?" Chrollo asked, and it barely got above a whisper. Kurapika couldn't help but notice that Chrollo's face was tinged a slightly darker shade of red. It brought him great satisfaction to know he _also_ had an affect on the older man, and he couldn't hold back his grin when it came to his face.

"I do. Remember how you brought up that one time? That one night full of 'regrets'. That happened back 'there'?" Kurapika took a pause for the dramatic effect, and Chrollo barely made a move to nod, caught up in the suspense. The blonde leaned in a little closer, as close as he would dare, and was almost touching the other man's nose with his own when he stopped. "Well, I must say, my only regret about that time was that it ended too early."

"Ah," Chrollo swallowed, and if Kurapika wasn't mistaken, Chrollo was _definitely_ turned on by that. He couldn't help but widen his smile at the older man, who took a while to regain his voice. "You… you're flirting with me, aren't you?"

Kurapika blinked dumbfounded at Chrollo a few times before he burst out laughing, pushing himself away from the other man, but Chrollo's hold on Kurapika kept him from falling off of his lap.

"Me? Flirting? I—haha—can't tell if you're asking because you're _dense_ or if—pfft hahahaha—or if it's because you're _short-circuiting!"_

"Oh come on Kurapika," Chrollo said exasperatedly, the blush on his face bright enough now that he looked like he'd just got sunburned. Kurapika couldn't stop another wave of giggles from overcoming him at the sight of it. "Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not, I'm just–" Kurapika took in a deep breath of air then sighed with a smile. He briefly wondered about what happened to his plan of being "casual" and unobvious. _Oh well. Time to be forward and obvious then._ "Just let me kiss you, okay?"

Chrollo gave him a surprised look but didn't protest when Kurapika leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. Chrollo's lips were chapped, but so were Kurapika's, so he resolved not to make a comment about it. When he pulled away, Chrollo was staring at him as if starstruck.

"What?"

"Nothing," Chrollo said, then blinked. "No, actually, I was thinking."

"Thinking?" said Kurapika, tilting his head. _Of what?_

"Of how lucky I am."

"To be held hostage on a chair with no hope of escape?"

"To be held 'hostage' in the arms of the one I love," Chrollo corrected, and then it was Kurapika's turn to flush at the other man's words.

"That's not fair."

"It never is."

"Then make it fair."

A pause.

"Okay."

And then Chrollo leaned forward and mimicked the kiss Kurapika gave him, but slower and with more care, as if they'd never kissed before then. It didn't have the dizzying effect their previous kisses had had, and it was somewhat of a relief to be able to experience the feeling of kissing each so calmly rather than riding through everything on emotions. Kurapika smiled into the kiss, finding it sweet how Chrollo was actually intent on making it seem like a more even playing field. Even though it wasn't going to be for long. Not with how he planned to exploit it at least.

Just as the kiss was ending, Kurapika took ahold of a small tangle of locks in the older man's hair with one hand and pulled back on it lightly, making Chrollo give an alluring gasp when they separated, his mouth opened rather seductively. Kurapika took a moment to take in the state Chrollo was in: his body was leaning back onto the chair held back by his head, neck flushed and fully exposed, breathing slightly hastened, and knuckles white from gripping at the sides of the chair to keep his hands busy and to maintain his balance. Kurapika noted that Chrollo was actively avoiding any way of touching him, as if doing so would break whatever kind of atmosphere they were in. It amused Kurapika a bit.

"Why hold yourself back?" Kurapika asked, using his free hand to slide up Chrollo's torso, pushing up his shirt and exposing his stomach. He let his fingers slide over the other man's abs for a moment before moving them quickly to the side, too embarrassed to keep them there. Chrollo breathed out a shaky laugh.

"Technically, _you're_ holding me back." He paused, then added, "With your hand."

"Should I let go—"

"No," Chrollo said, his response a little too quick, catching Kurapika off guard. He coughed awkwardly, his hands shifting where they held the side of the chair. "I… prefer this."

Kurapika blinked at him, not sure if he heard him right, but the more he reviewed what he'd said, the more it became clear that Chrollo was very into what Kurapika was doing. _Almost as if…_

"Chrollo, is this your k—"

"Kiss me," said Chrollo, his voice surprisingly desperate and his legs shuffled underneath Kurapika's weight apprehensively. "Please."

Kurapika wasn't going deny Chrollo's request, especially since he had asked _so_ nicely, but he decided to get to it gradually. The hand that held at Chrollo's hair tightened and his free hand moved up the side of his rib cage and stopped to cup at a pec, causing Chrollo to shudder and arch his back. Kurapika bent in to nuzzle in the crook of Chrollo's neck, giving light pecks where the hairline met the skin and trailed them up to his earlobe, pausing, then nibbling at the cartilage above his earring.

"Kurapika—"

"Shh, I'm getting there," Kurapika reassured before Chrollo could finish his whine, his voice tickling at the other man, making him flinch. _Oh I'm having way too much fun with this,_ Kurapika thought to himself, feeling heady that almost everything he did now had a guaranteed reaction from Chrollo.

He moved up on Chrollo's lap, wanting to get closer to the other man, and was instantly reminded of why he had abstained from much movement at all. His attention was also focused on how he had apparently given Chrollo the same reaction he had been given earlier. When he scooted up just a bit more Chrollo's breath went ragged.

Laughter was heard from outside the apartment and was becoming louder with several voices talking at the same time.

"Neighbors," Chrollo explained without prompt, or maybe it was in irritation that they were being disturbed. Kurapika would never know, because when Chrollo was going to say something else, Kurapika leaned in and sucked at Chrollo's throat. The noise that instead came out of the other man was something between a yelp and a moan.

As Kurapika cycled between licking, sucking, and lightly scraping his teeth at Chrollo's skin, he felt the older man grasp at the back of his shirt and tug harshly. The collar of Kurapika's shirt was in the other man's grasp, and the tug pulled him away from Chrollo's neck and had him release his grip on his hair too, which made Kurapika's main concern shift into stopping his descent off the chair. He threw his hand behind him and caught himself from landing on the edge of the table.

Kurapika wasn't even able to adjust his balance of himself when Chrollo grabbed ahold of his face with both hands and kissed him, giving a hum of satisfaction that made Kurapika's lips feel tingly. He allowed for Chrollo to deepen the kiss, letting one arm wrap around his shoulders and the other arm push off from the table and lean his body up against Chrollo so that he'd no longer be suspended mid-fall.

When they broke for air, Kurapika nudged Chrollo's forehead with his own.

"I _said_ I was getting there," Kurapika said with a laugh, and Chrollo shrugged.

"You were taking too long," Chrollo said with a smile. "And I'm very impatient, as you know."

"Of course," said Kurapika with a smile of his own. He kissed Chrollo on the tip of his nose. "But next time you'll wait longer."

"Next time?" Chrollo asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice, and Kurapika stuck his tongue out at him.

"Only if you earn it."

"What do I have to do to get your approval? Take you out to another fancy date?"

"With fancy food included? Absolutely," Kurapika said with a laugh. "And nothing less can satisfy me."

"Oh my, you were right! There is no hope of escape from your perilous hold over me!" said Chrollo dramatically, leaning back in the chair and draping an arm over his face as if he were a damsel in distress. "Your greed knows no bounds, and I must suffer the consequences!"

Kurapika laughed at his antics, then they were laughing together, leaning on each others shoulders and trying to quell their outbursts of giggling and chuckles when they heard a loud _thunk_ of a car door outside.

Kurapika was still trying to calm down from his laughter when Chrollo shushed him, putting a finger on his lips to quiet him. There was some stomping up the stairs outside that got Kurapika to stop, his curiosity finally getting the better of him and forcing him to tune into what was going on outside.

There was silence and then they both heard the front door start _click_ ing, and before they could separate completely from each other, Feitan burst into the apartment with a panicked look on his face. He seemed way too rushed to be bothered by their entangled state.

"The knives, from the kitchen," Feitan gasped out, "They're gone!"

* * *

 _Hahahahahaha so that chapter was certainly... something huh? But to be fair, if you think YOU'RE embarrassed, just remember that I had to write the whole thing! Asdkjbsfdkfjbsfkjdv anyway, please kudos, subscribe, and comment about wHAT PART YOU HAD TO STOP READING AND WALK AWAY FROM PLEASE AND THANK YOU_


	21. Drive

_Sorry for the lack of author's notes, I uploaded all these chapters at around the same time so I didn't have much time to go back an add a whole bunch, only for a few. Anyway, ya'll are almost finished with this part! So exciting!_ _Well, at least I'm excited XD_

 _(Also, my computer keeps trying to correct "ya'll" to "y'all" and it makes me viscerally uncomfortable seeing it spelt the latter way... *shiver*)_

* * *

Chrollo didn't even have a fraction of a second to react to Feitan's news before Kurapika was already standing up, dragging Chrollo along with him.

"Let's go then," Kurapika said, a little out of breath, and Feitan gave him a side glance that was basically a look of _"Where do you think_ you're _going?"_ Kurapika's response seemed to bring Feitan down from his panicked state, but it also put him into an stubborn state instead. _Great._ When Kurapika didn't back down from Feitan's glare, he turned it to Chrollo.

 _"First you let him take command of your heart, and now you let him take command of your mission?"_ spit out Feitan in Chinese, and Chrollo sighed. _We do not have time for this right now._

 _"He hasn't taken command of anything Feitan,"_ said Chrollo exhaustedly back in Chinese, frowning at his brother. _"And if anything, he's just trying to help."_

Feitan kept glaring at him, then asked _"Are you letting him join because you think he'd be useful or because he's a good fuck?"_

"Feitan!"

Kurapika was looking between them looking confused, the only word he seemed to understand being Feitan's name. He looked at Chrollo and Chrollo shook his head. There was no way he was translating this.

 _"He hasn't joined yet."_

 _"Yet?"_ asked Feitan, the anger in his voice increasing. _"When I left I knew you'd reconcile but putting the mission in danger because of personal feelings is out-of-character, even for you."_

 _"Don't be difficult. We need all the help we can get and he's already tried to get involved before. I won't stop him this time."_

 _"And if he gets hurt?"_ said Feitan smugly. Chrollo paused in his retort, his mind not providing any legitimate answers he could use to fight Feitan with. Feitan smiled and nodded. _"That's what I thought. The whole reason you didn't let him join before was because he would be in danger by association, right? What happened there?"_

Chrollo sighed.

 _"...It's not my decision to make. He's his own person and I—"_

 _"Didn't think to ask your brother if he was okay with it?"_ interrupted Feitan, hands on his hips. _"Did you ever stop to think if I was okay with it?"_

 _"...Are you okay with it?_ " Chrollo asked after a while, and Feitan frowned.

 _"No."_

Chrollo never once wanted anything more than to strangle his brother in that moment, but Kurapika stepped between them before he could try.

"I don't know what's going on and I don't think I want to know, but if I'm not mistaken this information is time sensitive, is it not?" Kurapika asked to Feitan matter of factly, who still continued to glare at him.

"It is."

"Then whatever you two are arguing about can be put on hold until we start heading to the objective."

"And what exactly are _you_ going to do when we get there?" Feitan asked, and Chrollo internally groaned. "This work is dangerous and—"

"I can handle myself, thank you." Kurapika interrupted, walking to the front door as if to prompt them to come with him. "If you don't believe me, ask your brother how my punches feel."

Chrollo subconsciously put a hand to his face where he'd been punched multiple times, and Feitan rolled his eyes. They began to follow Kurapika out of the apartment.

 _"It can't be that bad,"_ Feitan remarked under his breath in barely audible Chinese, pausing before the stairwell to wait for Chrollo.

 _"I was once knocked over a couch by his punch Feitan. His fury is not to be messed with,"_ Chrollo said to his brother, locking the door behind him. Feitan chuckled.

 _"Ha! Either you've grown weak, or the recruitment office overlooked him!"_

Chrollo gave a sharp look at Feitan.

 _"I, for one, am glad he wasn't recruited."_

 _"Because he would've stolen your job?"_

 _"Because I think he's happier without it."_

Feitan shrugged as if it didn't matter anymore, hopping off the last step of the stairs and basically ending their discussion whether Chrollo wanted to speak more about it or not.

"Blondie, we're taking my car. It's faster than yours," Feitan told Kurapika as he walked by him, and Kurapika gave Chrollo a look.

"What is with everyone calling me 'blondie' all of a sudden?"

Chrollo mimicked Feitan's shrug from earlier and followed his brother, taking the passenger seat after calling out "Shotgun!" with excitement that made Feitan briefly smile at his antics.

"Just get in the car," he said, and Chrollo obliged with Kurapika following suit. Feitan started the car and began to drive before Chrollo could get his seatbelt on.

"Hey—"

 _"He's allowed to join on one condition,"_ Feitan said, not taking his eyes off the road. Chrollo paused.

 _"What condition?"_

 _"That you two keep that lovey-dovey stuff at home and stay focused on the task at hand."_

 _"That sounds like two conditions,"_ Chrollo teased, and Feitan made a disgruntled noise.

 _"Don't make me take back my generosity."_

"Alright, fiiiiine."

"Fine what?" Kurapika asked from the back, perking up at the only English they had used the entire conversation. Feitan waved him off with a hand before making sharp turn right that threw everyone to the side of the car.

"Really?!" Kurapika said in outrage, and Feitan snickered at him.

 _"Don't get carried away with your teasing,"_ Chrollo warned with a smile, _"then you'll be taking my job."_

 _"Ew Chrollo!"_ Feitan laughed, albeit while trying to hit him with a spare hand. _"Don't make this weird!"_

"He didn't mean it as rude Kurapika, he just likes you more than he wants to admit," Chrollo continued when Feitan's hand collided with his face.

"I do not! Don't go spewing blasphemy!" Feitan said with some blush on his face.

"Aaww, you do like him!" Chrollo pointed out, and Kurapika was laughing.

"Not in the way you do though!"

"You sure? Could've fooled me," said Chrollo as he poked at Feitan's side, his hand getting swatted at for every attempt.

"I— I will not defend myself against you naysayer! I plead only to the Court of Kurapika!" Feitan said, and Kurapika leaned forward between their seats as if he was summoned. Chrollo was glad to see Kurapika smiling when he came into view, happy that him and his brother were getting along.

"Then how do you plead to these chargers, Mr. Feitan?"

"Not guilty," said Feitan with some irritation but also some confidence.

"Then the court is adjourned! Final ruling: not guilty!" Kurapika said with a laugh, and Chrollo shook his head.

"You didn't even ask for the prosecution's opinion."

"I don't need to, I'm the judge afterall. Therefore I already know everything."

"That is _not_ how court works," Chrollo wanted to say, but didn't, as Feitan laughed.

"Well then _judge,"_ said Feitan with a brief glance back at the blonde, "what does Chrollo want to talk to you about then?"

Kurapika blinked.

"I was unaware he had an inquiry for me."

 _"Brother,"_ Chrollo said, and Feitan flashed him a grin before shifting gears and driving the car ever faster down the street. Chrollo shook his head.

"Kurapika, in amendment for my behavior a month ago, I'd like to propose to you something," Chrollo said, turning his head as much as he could to see Kurapika in the backseat.

"Should I be concerned or…?"

"That depends. Do you want to help track down Hisoka's killer?" Kurapika stared at him with wide, awestruck eyes, and Chrollo had to continue before he lost his train of thought. "I know, originally, I had barred you from joining, but I mean it this time. I'll give you whatever job you want, as long as you think you can do it. I won't stop you this time. Promise."

There was a long pause where Kurapika stared at Chrollo, and just when it was starting to get to uncomfortable to bear, Kurapika began to laugh.

"You don't—haha—I said I'd go after Hisoka's killer cause you wouldn't listen to me, not because I wanted a job!"

"Wait, so it was a bluff?" Chrollo asked incredulously, and Kurapika huffed at that.

"It was, yes, but I definitely would've gone hunting them if you had kept kicking me out."

"But I let you in eventually, didn't I?"

"You wouldn't let me in to begin with though," Kurapika pointed out and Feitan chuckled at that.

"Fair," Chrollo conceded. "But would you still like to help? Feitan and I could use an extra person, and if you were willing to hunt for them then, then maybe you would now?"

"I will consider," Kurapika said carefully after some thought, then gave Chrollo a small smile. "However, I don't think it has as much appeal to it anymore if you're not chasing me."

Chrollo blinked.

"Do you… want me to?" he asked cautiously, but before Kurapika could answer Feitan made a disgusted noise.

"Could you two _concentrate_ for one _damn_ second?"

"What? I didn't do anything!" Chrollo said, holding up his hands as if to show he was clean.

"Oh, I know you weren't, but _someone,"_ Feitan emphasized, looking in the mirror to make eye contact with Kurapika, "was trying to _flirt_ with my brother _in front of me!"_

"At least _you're_ not dense," Kurapika said, and Chrollo gaped at him, offended that he'd say that about him. _My perception is impeccable!_

"I am not!"

"Just a little bit then," Kurapika amended, and then turned to look outside the car when Feitan jerked to a stop. "What… are you doing?"

"What do you mean what am I doing?" Feitan asked. "We're here."

* * *

 _Upon further evaluation I think I've been typing y'all wrong have a good night folks please press "F" to pay your respects_


	22. Revelations

_The last chapter! It was hard to get here but it was totally worth it to me, I just hope it was worth it to you guys too! Also, as soon as I'm able, I will try to add links to the works of art made for this part either at the end of this chapter in the notes or in the notes of the appropriate chapter where the art references! (Either way, all the art links will be put at the end of this chapter's notes for simplicity sake.)_

 _I hope you guys enjoy the last chapter of Part II!_

* * *

It only took them a few minutes to make it to the kitchen that Feitan and Chrollo had spoken about, and it made Kurapika uneasy for some reason, even if he couldn't place exactly why he felt that way. He leaned on a nearby counter top and inspected its surface, but found that the counter was freshly cleaned. Do they clean places they investigate? Kurapika wondered, but left his thoughts in order to tune into what Chrollo was saying.

"So the knives are gone?" Chrollo asked in confirmation, and Feitan slid open a drawer to show it contents.

"Gone with the wind."

"Nerd."

"Shut up. Look at what was left behind."

Kurapika turned his attention to what was inside the drawer and saw a heart-shaped vial with a cap on it and some fancy, cursive letters on the front of it. Kurapika raised an eyebrow at it.

"It's perfume. So what?"

Feitan blinked at him.

"You haven't even inspected it yet, how are you sure?" Feitan asked, and Kurapika shrugged.

"My mom buys that same brand… Are you sure this has something to do with Hisoka's case?" Kurapika asked, feeling a little disappointed with how anticlimactic the reveal was. Feitan gave a frown.

"Yeah. We think so, at least."

Chrollo didn't respond, instead his attention was hyper-fixated on the bottle. He picked it up as Kurapika sighed.

"'Think so,' huh? Well I'll be outside then. Check the perimeter or something like that," Kurapika told Feitan and Chrollo, but only Feitan responded.

"Be careful then. I don't know how recently the killer has been back to this location."

Kurapika nodded and turned to make his way out of the kitchen when Chrollo spoke to Feitan in a hushed voice.

"Feitan, this perfume is… it's strawberry scented."

"Yeah? And?" Feitan asked, and Kurapika closed the door behind him.

He sighed, wondering if maybe they had set up this whole thing to make him feel better about not having any help to actually offer in a real investigation, but quickly shook the thought away. Chrollo wouldn't do that, and no matter how ill-tempered his brother was, neither would he.

Kurapika began to walk down the stairs near the place they were inspecting and out towards the only street that the parking lot was attached to. He tried to think of something he could do that'd be helpful other than identifying a perfume bottle when a police car drove past him startling fast.

He made a start that almost made him fall over but caught himself, looking about for what he had missed. Was there a crime nearby that none of them were aware of that could link them to Hisoka's killer? He had to find out.

He started lightly jogging the way the police car went, following the siren and the burst of lights as his guide. Every now and then he would lose track of the car, but conveniently another police car would always drive somewhere close by, redirecting Kurapika to his destination.

He ran like that for around fifteen minutes when he found where all the police cars were gathering. Where they had stopped was a small motel area complete with a fenced off pool area that could easily be jumped over. It looks like they had a lot of police officers searching through all the rooms on the right side of the complex. Some K-9 units were sniffing around as well, compelling Kurapika to stop a few meters away.

As he caught his breath, he wondered just how far he had gotten from Chrollo and Feitan and if he'd be able to make it back to them. He suddenly wished he paid more attention to the street signs so he could find his way back.

He checked his phone, wondering if they'd noticed his absence yet, but it seemed not. Kurapika briefly considered telling them why he'd left and the general direction of where he'd gone but he shook his head at himself. If he could get valuable information for the case by himself, he could prove himself worthy of being on the team. _Not that I need to prove myself, it'd just be nice to be accepted without doubt._

Kurapika began to walk over to the area where the police cars were when he saw a shadow dart into a nearby alley way. He hesitated for only a moment before he ran after it, no real plan in mind other than finding out who it was. And find out he did. He wasn't even in a few feet into the darkness of the alley way when he ran into someone.

"Ow! What the—" then there was a long silence before, "Kurapika?"

"What?" Kurapika looked around but couldn't see anything, let alone the other person. _How do they know me?_ "Who are you?"

"Oh, right!" the voice said as if remembering something silly, and Kurapika could swear he'd heard the voice before. A few moments later and a light shone to the ground of the alleyway, lighting up the other person's shoes. It traveled up the side of the wall and to their face where Kurapika had to stop himself from reacting in shock.

"Pairo? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Mom and Dad?" Kurapika asked, flabbergasted as to why his friend was here.

"And I thought you had a late job call?" Pairo asked back with an easy smile, and Kurapika hesitated.

"I—" he licked at his chapped lips. "I did. I had a delivery to make, and on the way back I saw the police over there and got curious…"

Pairo's face fell a bit but then he gave another smile.

"Speaking of which, we should probably go. Don't want them thinking we did anything right?" said Pairo, taking Kurapika's wrist and dragging him along with him.

"Wait, where are we going? I have to get back to work," Kurapika said, unable to take his arm out of Pairo's grasp.

"It won't take long," Pairo assured. "Some friends of mine are nearby so they can give you a lift back after we're done!"

Kurapika gave him a smile, but it was an obsolete action when Pairo turned off the light and kept dragging Kurapika along with him, eventually making it to an old van that had the door already open and a black haired woman standing next to it.

"Hey Shizuku! We're ready to go!" Pairo said as he jumped in, forcing Kurapika to go along with him. Shizuku came in after them and closed the door firmly.

"Who is that?" she asked, and Pairo gave a smile.

"An old friend of mine."

Shizuku accepted the answer without further questioning then hit the side of the van twice.

"Everyone is in Shalnark."

"Aaalright-y then!" a voice from the front said, and Kurapika shot a look at Pairo.

"My _cousin_ is here and you didn't think to tell Mom and Dad?" Kurapika asked incredulously. "Or do they already know?"

"I just happened to find him is all. Crazy that we both came back home at the same time right?" Pairo laughed with ease. Kurapika frowned. "Shal, say hi to Kurapika! He's with us!"

"Whoa, what? Hey cuz!" Shalnark said from the front, turning back to catch a glimpse of him. "Glad to see ya with us? Where should I drop you off?"

"He's coming with us first," Pairo said for him. "I want him to meet someone first."

"...Are you sure?" Shalnark asked, and Kurapika saw Shizuku and another person in the van look to Pairo for his answer as Shalnark had to turn back to the road.

"Of course. It'll only take a minute."

"Whatever you say," Shalnark said before taking out his phone and texting on it, still managing to make a smooth turn while finishing his message. "I'll let the others know."

"Thanks."

"Pairo, where are we headed?" Kurapika asked, ignoring his phone vibrating with texts undoubtedly from Chrollo asking where he went. He wouldn't dare risk answering them right now when everything about this felt so… suspicious.

Pairo didn't answer him directly and just said "You'll see," before turning to Shizuku and the man that looked like a dressed-down samurai to talk about the new coffee he had just recently tried. Kurapika quickly turned his phone off when no one was looking so that even the vibrations wouldn't give him. He didn't want to have to answer anything and reveal that he wasn't actually at work. For some reason, he felt it's be a bad idea to let Pairo know.

It took them at least a half hour to get to their destination, and when the van came to a stop, Pairo got Kurapika to jump out first. They all piled out of the van, then led the blond into the building in front of which they had parked.

The building looked like it was an abandoned factory that had been recycled as an office building which had also been vacated. The lights inside were on and emitted a dull orange glow, barely flickering, which made Kurapika's eyes hurt from the strain of trying to adjust to the luminosity. Further into the building and down a few halls, they came to a staircase that Pairo lead them down in, only slowing when the lighting got too faint.

When they finally got out of the stairway, Kurapika was greeted with the most well-lit room in the factory. It looked like a movie production studio minus the bustling movement of actors. Instead on the sidelines and shadows of the room were other people sitting on chairs or boxes and holding books as they all looked up at the arrival of Kurapika and his group. As greetings were shouted out to everyone, Kurapika found interest in the a giant video camera that signalled that it was recording. He traced a line to the spot where it was shooting and had to wait for his eyes to adjust to the brightness of the set in contrast to the rest of the room before he could see what it was filming, and when he did, he held his breath.

On the far end of the room, a bunch of headlights were shining down on a slumped over man with fading red hair chained down to a chair, sweat and blood having already soaked and dried onto his clothes, yet there seemed to be new injuries on him as well, like the swelling bruise on his cheek and fresh blood trickling from his forehead and mouth.

Pairo gently took Kurapika's elbow and lead them closer, the man stirring and lifting his head when he heard someone approaching. As soon as the man in the seat spotted Kurapika though, he stopped, surprise and recognition obvious on his deformed facial features. Kurapika could feel his face change to have the same shocked expression, could feel the entire world stop as he heard a bell ring in the distance, slowly and deliberately.

"How are you today? Hurting a bit, possibly?" Pairo asked the man cheerfully, but Kurapika's mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. _How... why? It couldn't be him... it shouldn't be… but..._

He couldn't muster enough courage to raise any questions to his childhood friend, but could only stare at the man who was stretching his neck as much as he could, spine cracking as he moved it in time with the bell chimes. A waft of air came from the man; he smelt faintly of strawberries. Kurapika wanted run. When the man finished his stretches, Pairo's voice rang out loudly, making Kurapika flinch.

"I see you're as adamant as ever on staying silent on what really matters Hisoka. But really, you should have better manners than this. Surely, you at least recognize our guest?"

The clock outside struck for the eleventh time, and Hisoka settled his gaze on Kurapika before giving him a crooked smile.

"No, I do not."

 **End of Part II**


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